


Like Foam on the Ocean

by Stefanyeah



Category: Muse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-29
Updated: 2011-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-26 19:35:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 53,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/969498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stefanyeah/pseuds/Stefanyeah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Tale of a Fish and his Prince</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to a twitter comment someone made about Matt and mermaids and me demanding a crack!fic and Alex demanding me to do it. So here it is. Alas, no crack!fic, but romance. Haaaaaach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Prince finds some curious flotsam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Beta:** The Amazing Chants  
> 

Dominic walked over the sandy beach, glad to escape the courtly proceedings for just a few moments. His eyes wandered over the blue sea, glistening in the morning sun. It was calm again after last night’s storm. Dominic had heard the sea raging when he had lain in bed and tried to sleep the night before. He passed the odd dead fish and flotsam that had been washed up, averted his gaze from the water, the reflecting sun hurting his eyes, and ran his hands through his blond hair.

Something ahead caught his eye, and he sped up to see if it really was an unconscious human. He arrived the motionless form after a few minutes and stopped to stare. The form really was a man, but Dominic wasn‘t sure if he could refer to the creature as _human_. His eyes took in the black hair, which was partially white and crusty from dried salt and stood in stark contrast to the pale skin. The blond‘s appreciating gaze wandered over a slender chest and slim arms; he flinched however, when he saw the bruises and cuts on the creature‘s skin, in particular, one big and very nasty slash running from collarbone to hip. And the hip was were the more unusual part of this man began.

Dominic stared at the elongated, scaly fishtail. It ended in a long double fin and featured two smaller fins slightly higher and another single fin halfway between hips and tail fin. This one fin must have been long and gracious once, but now it was tattered, the pale blue skin hanging loosely from the bone.

The dull blue tail, too, showed a collection of bruises and cuts, Dominic noticed as he knelt down to check if the merman was still alive. He patted two fingers over the unconscious man‘s throat to check his pulse. He was surprised to find three gashes on each side. He leant forward to squint at them, gently lifting the fleshy covers.

„Gills,“ he murmured. „Can he actually survive on land?“

Frowning, Dominic ran his fingers over the pale throat again, searching for a pulse and eventually just pressed his ear to the merman’s chest. He could make out the weak beating of a heart and straightened again, relieved, until another problem presented itself. What to do with this creature now? He couldn‘t leave him on the beach, could he? Or even throw him back into the sea and leave him to his fate, wounded and vulnerable like this?

 

 

_Two days later_

Dominic heard splashing from the neighbouring room and almost fell off his chair in his haste to run into his bathroom. He dashed into the spacious area with the small bathtub, to find the merman awake and panicky, looking around in the room. The human noticed how the fishtail‘s colour had changed from the vibrant blue it had shown after some hours in the water, to a dark blue hue, almost black.

„You‘re awake!“ Dominic exclaimed happily, rushing forwards.

The merman recoiled, causing the water to splash violently over the rim of the bathtub, and stared, horrified, at the advancing human. Dominic stopped in his tracks, just as the merman submerged his head under the water. The blond slowly approached the bathtub and sat down at the chair next to it, waiting for his guest to surface again. He stared at the tail fins which dangled over the rim of the tub.

After a while, the black-haired head appeared again and the merman turned his head to stare at Dominic. The blond smiled broadly and extended his hand. „I‘m Dominic.“

The merman glanced at Dominic‘s hand and back at the face of the human. Dominic‘s smile drooped a bit and he let his hand fall down helplessly. He noticed that the darkness of the merman‘s fishtail had somewhat softened again to a dark blue shade.

„Sorry about the small bathtub,“ Dominic rambled nervously, hoping to calm down his guest. „I couldn‘t leave you alone on the beach, and I didn‘t want to let you drift away on your own, either.“

He stopped and waited, hopeful for a reaction. But the merman just stared at him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

Dominic sighed. „I brought in sea water,“ he continued. „I think the one here is not salty enough for you? I would bring you some food too, but I don‘t know what you eat.“ Another pause, and still the merman stared at him with eyes that matched the brilliance of a pure river on a sunny day. Dominic shook his head and averted his eyes from the intense stare. „Can you understand me?“

The merman cocked his head and nodded, before diving deeper into the water and covering his gills.

„Is there anything you need?“ Dominic asked, once he resurfaced, happy they had made progress.

Instead of answering, the merman simply submerged himself in the water once more.

Dominic sighed again and rose from the chair. _So much for progress._ He turned back again when he reached the door. „I‘ll check on you later today, see if you need anything,“ he spoke to the gently whipping tail fins.

Dominic spent the following hours restlessly walking through the castle, until he found himself in front of the huge library. He hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside. He’d hardly been in this room before, and didn‘t quite know how to search for certain books. In fact, he wasn’t really sure he knew exactly what he was looking for.

„Oh, the young prince.“ An old, cracked voice reached Dominic‘s ears and the blond turned to face the old librarian. He smiled and nodded in greeting.

„Is there anything you would like to know about, or would you prefer something more… _risqué_?“ the bald man winked and chuckled.

Dominic laughed uneasily and shook his head. „No, I was just wondering if we had something in the library about merpeople?“

The old man eyed him interestedly. „Merpeople, you say?“

Dominic nodded.

„What exactly do you want to know?“ the librarian asked, and hobbled towards a shelve in the far back of the library.

„Oh, just… stuff,“ Dominic shrugged. „Like, how to tend to wounds, what they eat and how to communicate with them…“

„You met one, didn‘t you?“ the old man asked, smiling.

Dominic shrugged. „They‘re legends, aren‘t they?“

„If you say so, prince,“ the librarian answered, still smiling knowingly. He had reached the shelf he had aimed for and pulled a small and battered book out of it. He turned back to Dominic and held out the book. „This might be exactly what you‘ve been looking for.“

The blond took the book and glanced down at it. It looked more like a scratch pad than a proper book and even lacked a title. He skimmed through the hand-written, loose pages, afraid that it‘d fall apart any moment. He scratched at the dry white substance on the leather binding and looked quizzically at the librarian.

The old man smiled. „It‘s just dried salt,“ he assured.

Dominic nodded, murmuring his thanks and making his way to the door.

„They’re shy and stubborn buggers, aren‘t they?“ the librarian‘s voice followed him. Dominic turned to him and frowned, shrugging helplessly, before finally leaving the library and heading back to his room.

He arrived an hour later in his room, after a detour to the kitchen. The staff had been surprised to see the prince in the actual kitchen and even moreso when he had asked for fish dishes to be prepared. He was known for not liking fish dishes _at all_.

The blond put the tray with the meal down for a moment, in order to place the old book on his table. Picking up the tray again, he made his way to the bathroom. The merman still lay in the bathtub and was obviously sleeping. Dominic stopped to marvel at the black, messy hair that fell over the pale skin of the merman‘s face, head resting against the rim of the tub and revealing an elegant, curved throat.

Dominic swallowed and stepped further into the room, wondering if he should make himself known, but not wanting to startle the sleeping merman. He was spared the decision when the man in the tub opened his eyes and turned his head in Dominic‘s direction.

Dominic cleared his throat and looked down at the tray in his hands, just to have an excuse to break the stare. „I brought something to eat,“ he spoke, still feeling nervous in the other‘s proximity. „I didn‘t know what you’d like, so I asked the kitchen staff for fish.“ He looked up again, waiting a moment for the merman to speak, but once again nothing came forth. _At least he didn’t dive again,_ Dominic thought, and walked towards the bathtub. He held the tray out so the merman could inspect the food.

The merman cocked his head and perused the fish dishes on the tray for a moment, before looking up at Dominic again.

„I’ll just…“ the blond stuttered. „I’ll just put it down here and if you feel hungry you can eat something, okay?“

The merman nodded and watched Dominic put the tray down on the chair. The human remained standing helplessly next to the tub for a moment and then walked backwards. „I’ll just leave you alone. Just… shout, or make a noise if you need something, yes?“

The merman looked from Dominic to the food and back to Dominic again, and then disappeared underneath the water. Dominic sighed and turned to leave, but a movement caught his eye. Instead of hanging over the rim of the tub, the tail fins were upright, waving slightly in vibrant blue.

Dominic smiled. Maybe they _were_ progressing.

Days went by and Dominic returned to the merman in his bathtub at regular intervals, always feeling helpless and nervous in his presence. But at least his guest had started eating in his presence. He even seemed to be waiting for Dominic to turn up again. The human had started sitting next to the bathtub and reading the book the librarian had given to him. He sometimes noticed the merman craning his neck to get a better view of what he was reading.

What worried Dominic though, was that the wounds had hardly healed. So, on the fourth day, he paid a visit to the Court physician. The next time he went to his bathroom, he carried a small pot of ointment in his hands. He smiled at the merman, waving it proudly. „I brought ointment, although I don‘t know if it helps underwater. You might have to keep your upper body out of the water for a while.“

He walked towards the bathtub and showed the merman the pot of the smelly, sticky mass. The black-haired creature eyed it warily and then sunk further into the water. Dominic smiled reassuringly and unscrewed the lid to dip his fingers into the ointment. He extended his hand to trace the big gash on the merman‘s chest.

The merman recoiled immediately, almost diving completely underwater again and causing a lot of liquid to splash out onto the floor _and_ Dominic. He stared at the human with panicked eyes.

Dominic immediately stilled, hand not yet withdrawing. He didn‘t fail to register that the merman hadn‘t disappeared completely under water. „Nonono, I don‘t want to hurt you,“ he hurried to assure. „This will help your wounds to heal.“ He moved his hand a fraction forward and stopped, seeking permission to touch the wet skin. „I only want to help you, I promise.“

The merman looked up at him, finally nodded and slid further up again, reclining against the wall of the bathtub. Dominic smiled thankfully and closed the gap between his finger and the pale chest. „This might sting a bit, but it will be better in the end,“ he murmured, and ran his fingers gently over the wound, marvelling at the smooth skin under his fingertips, where it was undamaged.

He heard the merman hissing softly, and noted this was actually the first sound Dominic had heard from him. He dipped his fingers into the ointment again and was grateful that the merman actually tried to lift himself out of the water to enable Dominic to coat the wound in ointment. „Maybe I should have sat you on the chair just for the process of putting on ointment.“

The merman cocked his head curiously and nodded. Dominic grinned broadly at him. „Can you talk?“

The merman swirled his hands in the water and opened his mouth. „Yes…“ he uttered hesitantly, and as if testing his ability to speak, „Dominic.“

The human nodded enthusiastically, stupidly excited about hearing his name come out of the merman‘s mouth in a voice as smooth and soothing as water. „What‘s your name?“

„Matthew. My name is Matthew.“

Dominic grinned even wider, only just managing to prevent himself from rushing forward and embracing Matthew. He was sure that would destroy all the progress they had made, but he felt far too happy about obviously gaining the merman‘s trust.

The following days were less sombre in the bathroom, now that Matthew had finally spoken and allowed Dominic to tend to his wounds. The human now spent even more time in the bathroom, chatting with Matthew, or just sitting and reading his book while the merman dozed off for a while.

„What‘s this?“ Matthew asked and pointed at the old book in Dominic‘s hands.

„It‘s a book,“ the human explained. „You read it.“

Matthew nodded. „I’ve heard about those things. What are you reading about?“

„The librarian gave it to me when I was looking for literature on merpeople.“

„Have you told someone about me?“ Matthew asked, and Dominic noticed how his tail became darker.

Dominic shook his head. „No, I don‘t know how folks would react, so I decided it might be better to keep your presence secret. Although, I think the librarian suspects something.“

The merman nodded, his tail slowly returning to its normal blue. „So, you‘re reading books about me?“

„Kind of,“ Dominic admitted. „You wouldn‘t talk to me and I needed information about you.“

Matthew hummed and looked down into the water.

„It reads more like a love story than a book purely made for the purpose of information, though,“ Dominic continued. „A man finds a mermaid that‘s been washed up on the beach. Similar to how we started out really.“

„How does it end?“ Matthew looked up, smiling tentatively.

„I don‘t know yet.“ Dominic held the book up so Matthew could see that he was still somewhere in the middle. „Are all of your kind this shy, though?“

Matthew shrugged and moved his hands in the water. „We‘re not a very outgoing kind, no.“ He slid further down in the bathtub and glanced up at the human. „We‘re monogamous, and thus rather picky.“

„I wondered…“ Dominic began, but paused to scratch at his scalp. „How does your kind … well… procreate?“

Matthew stared up at him, cheeks tinted red. And with some fascination, Dominic noticed the red hue of Matthew‘s tail fins. „You mean… the act of copulating?

„Well, yes.“

„Like fish,“ Matthew answered. „Mating dance, the woman releases the eggs in a protected cave and the man spills the semen over it,“ he rushed through his explanation.

Dominic nodded, imaging the merman in front of him _dancing_. He was sure it would be a marvellous sight.

„How do you procreate?“ Matthew‘s voice called him out of his daydreams and he looked up to find a pair of interested blue eyes staring at him.

Dominic gulped. „Err…well…it works a bit differently with humans. You know, the man puts his genitalia into the woman‘s and spills his semen into her.“

„That‘s fascinating,“ Matthew stated.

Dominic cleared his throat and nodded. „I could have look at the library and see if I can find a book to show you pictures, or maybe a better explanation?“

Matthew smiled broadly and nodded.

On an impulse, Dominic extended his hands and ran them through Matthew‘s wet hair. The merman didn‘t even flinch, much to Dominic‘s relief.

„I‘d like to take you out into our lake, so you could have more room to move,“ Dominic murmured. „But I don‘t know how the other habitants here would react to a merman.“

Matthew nodded and sighed. „I know.“

The next day, Dominic found his way to the library again. He looked around, trying to find the old librarian.

„Oh, the prince again,“ the old voice sounded from behind Dominic. The blond turned around and smiled at the librarian.

„Yes, me again.“

„Did the book help you?“

„Yeah, kinda…“ Dominic nodded. „I‘m still in the process of reading it. Err… do you have books on human reproduction?“

The old man chuckled quietly. „Why? Do you want to explain it to merpeople?“ he asked, with a knowing smirk.

„Something of this kind, yes,“ Dominic admitted and waited for the librarian to find a book for him.

„Here you go.“ The old man returned to Dominic after a while, a thick book in his hands. „Even with drawings of the human anatomy.“

Dominic took the book from the librarian‘s hands and thanked him, cheeks tinted red. He bid farewell to the old man and returned into his room, with the usual detour into the kitchen. By now, the staff knew he would come daily, and always had a few fish dishes prepared. Dominic headed straight into the bathroom and placed both the book and meal on the small table that he’d moved into the room some days before.

Matthew craned his neck to get a better view on the book. „It‘s big.“

„There are even bigger books in the library, actually.“

„Really?“ The merman leant forward, almost falling out of the bathtub, and reached for the book.

„Ah,“ Dominic reached out to catch Matthew‘s hand before he could reach the book.

Matthew froze, his wrist stuck in Dominic‘s hand, and turned his head to stare at the blond. Dominic looked into the blue eyes, gulping at their depth, and slowly let go of the slim wrist in his grip. The merman returned to his usual sitting position in the tub and resumed staring at the human.

Dominic gesticulated helplessly and fell down onto the chair, fearing he had somehow made a mistake that would catapult them back right to the reticent start. „Your hands are wet,“ he explained weakly. „And books are delicate when it comes to moisture.“

Matthew still stared at him with an unreadable expression, and Dominic started to seriously fear he’d crossed an unspoken rule amongst merpeople. He noticed Matthew running a hand over where he had held the other’s wrist moments ago.

„The librarian might kill me if I damage one of the books,“ he tried feebly to joke. He smiled weakly at Matthew, hoping the merman would say something.

„Well, we don‘t want him to do that,“ Matthew finally spoke, offering a timid smile.

Dominic grinned, relieved. „No, we certainly don‘t want that!“

„How can I have a look at the book then, without making it wet?“

„Well… we could dry your upper body and you could sit on my lap. This way the book can‘t fall into the tub and you can‘t drip on it,“ Dominic suggested hesitantly.

Matthew cocked his head, obviously contemplating the suggestion. „But you would get wet nevertheless,“ he finally spoke.

Dominic shrugged. „I can dry easily.“

Matthew nodded and Dominic rose from the chair to gather a few towels. He motioned for Matthew to sit on the rim of the tub and hesitantly brought a towel forward, prepared to pull back should the merman show any signs of unease. He started rubbing his hair dry, stopping after a few moments to ask Matthew if he was okay. The merman nodded silently and closed his eyes, while Dominic busied himself drying the hair and moving on to the skin. He dabbed gently over the fading gash on Matthew‘s chest and then ran the towel over his arms and hands.

„Done,“ the blond finally announced, throwing the towels in a corner. „How are you feeling?“

Matthew shrugged, running his hands over the skin of his arms. „Feels strange being dry.“

„It won‘t be for long, and as soon as you feel uncomfortable, you can dive into the bathtub again,“ Dominic smiled. „Ready to be lifted out of the tub?“

Matthew nodded and waited for Dominic to lift him up and move over to the chair. The human sat down and shuffled them closer to the table. „You gained weight since I picked you up on the beach.“

Matthew turned his head and glared at the human, tail slapping against Dominic‘s ankle. „Well, you feed me well enough. Sometimes, I do wonder if you want me to end up as a dish, too.“

„I never even considered you ending up as a dish!“ Dominic exclaimed.

„You only ever watch me eat…“

„Well… I don‘t like fish and Father wants me to eat with him and Mother,“ Dominic explained.

„You don‘t eat fish?“ Matthew asked, surprised.

Dominic shook his head. „No, I prefer meat and vegetables. I can bring some tomorrow if you want to try,“ he added, when he saw Matthew opening his mouth.

The merman smiled and nodded and turned his attention to the book on the table. He extended his hands, but stopped before he touched it. „Can I?“

Dominic nodded. „Of course.“

He watched, amused at how Matthew ran his fingers carefully over the leather cover and finally pulled the weighty tome to him. He opened it and flipped through the pages. After a while, Matthew turned his head to Dominic. „And you understand all those strange signs?“

Dominic chuckled. „Yes, they‘re letters that form words, and as long as I know what the word means, I do understand those signs.“

Matthew nodded again and skimmed through the book, stopping every now and then to peer at the illustrations and ask questions. „You certainly are a most interesting species,“ he announced, when he’d reached the end of the book and closed the cover.

„Thank you… I guess,“ Dominic answered. The last hour had been… _interesting_ for him. And kind of exhausting. The merman‘s close proximity seemed to stir something in him, that he didn‘t quite want Matthew to notice. He could only just refrain from touching the pale skin in front of him. He found it harder with each day, to only tend to Matthew‘s fading wounds and not run his hands all over the smooth skin. He shifted uncomfortably.

„I could have sat on the chair on my own, too…“ Matthew stated, and turned around on Dominic‘s lap, shoulder coming into contact with Dominic‘s chest.

The human cursed silently, but smiled at the merman, daring to rest his arm on Matthew‘s hip with the excuse of steadying him. „But this is more comfy, isn‘t it?“

Matthew glanced down at Dominic‘s arm, and the blond almost removed it, but then Matthew nodded. He leant over the table and pulled the tray with the food towards him. „You should try some fish,“ he grinned, and picked up one of the pieces.

Dominic squinted at the fish, his attention drawn more to the fingers holding it up, though. He shook his head. „No, thank you.“

Matthew turned further and held the piece of fish in front of Dominic‘s lips. „You really should try it, this is delicious.“

Dominic squeezed his lips shut and shook his head. The merman pouted and pressed the fish against the human‘s lips.

The human realised that he wouldn‘t be able to get out of this situation without fish in his mouth, and maybe, just maybe, he might even feel Matthew‘s fingertips on his lips? He squinted down at the hand in front of his face and raised his eyes to look at Matthew. He was met with a pair of unrelenting, deep, blue eyes.

 _Shy and stubborn buggers_ , Dominic remembered the librarian’s words.

Hesitantly, he opened his mouth, and a happily grinning merman pushed a piece of fish between his lips. Ignoring the taste for the moment, Dominic concentrated on the fingertips grazing his lips just as he’d hoped. He couldn‘t resist innocently flicking his tongue at the fingers, pretending to make sure he didn’t want the fish to fall from his mouth.

Matthew gasped softly and withdrew his fingers, subconsciously lifting them against his own lips. He watched Dominic expectantly. The human chewed and swallowed.

„And? Good?“ Matthew asked, tail flapping excitedly between Dominic‘s legs.

Dominic swallowed, trying to choose his words wisely. „Well… it‘s… you know…“

„You don‘t like it,“ Matthew stated, and turned back to his dish, eating silently.

„But that only means I won‘t be tempted to sneak into the bathroom at night when I feel hungry and start chewing on your tail,“ Dominic pointed out.

Matthew turned his head, mouth full, and offered a smile, a fish bone stuck between his teeth. The merman finished his meal, obviously not minding that Dominic had managed to slowly encircle his hips with both arms. Once finished with his meal, Matthew turned his head and sniffed, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

„Did someone mention to you that you smell?“

Dominic blinked, surprised at the merman‘s mood swing. „Well, there‘s been someone in my bathtub for more than a week now.“

Matthew blushed slightly. „I could sit on the chair while you bathe?“

„You just want to see a penis in real life.“

Matthew giggled, cheeks still tinted red. „Maybe. And besides, you always see me naked,“ he pointed out.

Dominic gulped. This was definitely _not_ a good thing to think about right now. „Yes, but you…“ he stuttered. „You don‘t…“ Dominic gesticulated weakly.

„I don‘t have a penis?“

Dominic nodded.

„What‘s so special about your penis that you can‘t show it to me?“ He paused, frowned and looked down at his fidgeting hands. „Do you have someone to mate with?“

„No!“ Dominic hurried to answer. He gulped. „Do you… did you ever dance with someone?“

Matthew shook his head. „No.“

They fell silent, both at a loss at what to say. Matthew glanced down at Dominic‘s arms, which still rested around his hips, and Dominic wondered if this was a sign that he should remove them. But the merman did nothing that implied he felt uncomfortable in this position, so the human just kept them where they were.

„Your wounds…“ Dominic spoke after a while, „They‘ve almost healed.“

Matthew nodded, twisting to look at his tail. „Yes, apart from the back fin.“ He brought one of his hands down to trace the tattered pale blue skin. „I don‘t think that will ever heal.“ The merman raised his hand to his chest. „And I think this remain scar tissue, too.“

Dominic‘s eyes followed Matthew‘s hand. „I‘m sorry…“ the human whispered.

Matthew shook his head. „It‘s not your fault. And if it wasn‘t for you, I‘d be dead by now.“

The human hummed. „Do you have to return to the ocean?“ he asked, dreading the answer he knew would come forth.

Matthew stared down, refusing to meet Dominic‘s eyes. He nodded hesitantly.

„Do you…“ Dominic started, hands twitching against Matthew‘s almost-dry scales. „Are you in a hurry to return?“

„I think I could wait a few days, if you don‘t mind.“

„I‘d be more than happy if you‘d be my guest for a bit longer.“

Matthew nodded and rested his head against Dominic‘s shoulder, falling into a light slumber.

Dominic spent the following days almost exclusively in the bathroom. He only left to pick up food for them, or to sleep. Although he often woke at night and sneaked into the bathroom, observing the sleeping merman in the pale lunar light. He had brought Matthew a pillow some days back, and after a few wet trials, Matthew had found a way to keep the pillow stuck between the rim of the tub and his head.

Once again, Dominic sat on the chair, watching Matthew sleep. He knew that he, himself, didn‘t look healthy; dark rings decorated his eyes due to sleepless nights, but he didn‘t care about his parent‘s worried words at the table. He figured he could sleep all he wanted, once Matthew was back in the ocean.

The blond looked up at the window behind the bathtub, the full moon illuminating the sharp features of Matthew‘s face; cheekbones throwing distinct shadows and the pale skin even more outstanding, the blue of his tail shimmering softly. Dominic sighed and extended his hand towards the black hair of the merman, but stopped just before the caress.

The merman‘s head lolled to the side and closed the remaining gap between hair and hand. Dominic gasped and stared intently at the calm face. He frowned. „You‘re awake.“

Matthew smirked without opening his eyes. „Like all the previous nights.“

„Why, you cheeky, little fish,“ Dominic grinned.

The merman opened his eyes and shifted, pushing the pillow onto the floor and leaning his arms on the rim of the bathtub. His smile faded. „This is our last night together.“

„Yes,“ Dominic leant forward to rest his arms on the rim of the bathtub next to Matthew. „Is there anything you‘d like to do tomorrow?“

Matthew shrugged. „Can we eat together? I know your parents insist on your presence at the table, but…“

„I‘ll make sure to return to you, hungry,“ Dominic smiled. „Do you have any wishes considering the meal?“

„Mhmmmm,“ Matthew fell back into the bathtub and sunk underwater, tail fins swaying playfully in the air. His head appeared again and he shook his head, spraying water over Dominic. „I quite liked the green leaves and slices of stuff with the small red balls, and the long white tubes in the red mush and then that sweet, cold cream you brought the other day,“ the merman recounted.

Dominic laughed. „Salad, pasta and ice-cream it is tomorrow.“

Matthew nodded and reclined, ocean blue eyes glistening in the moonlight at Dominic. „Will you forget me?“

„Never!“ Dominic exclaimed. Matthew smiled and closed his eyes again.

 

 

Dominic looked up at the moon and sighed. His arms were aching from the unusual stress that rowing put on him. His eyes strayed back to the merman who sat in the bow of the small boat, tail dangling into the sea water.

„I think the distance from the beach is enough now,“ Matthew finally whispered. He slipped into the water and swam to Dominic‘s side of the boat. Grabbing the wood of the side, he pulled himself up to face the human. „This is farewell, I‘m afraid.“

„Yes,“ Dominic murmured and leant forward to stroke through Matthew‘s hair. Without warning, the merman grabbed Dominic‘s head and pulled the human down while trying to pull himself further upwards. With a startled yelp, the human fell forward and into the cold water.

Before Dominic could recover from the shock, he felt lips pressed against his own, Matthew‘s hands insistent in his hair. And finally, Dominic gave into his desire to run his hands over the merman‘s skin, feeling the smooth and chilly texture. He felt Matthew‘s hands leaving his hair and clawing desperately at his shirt.

Letting go of Matthew for a moment, Dominic helped the merman with his frantic attempts to get rid of the fabric. Once free from it, he threw it into the boat, yelping when he felt Matthew‘s impatient fingers working to loosen his trousers.

„Matthew,“ Dominic panted, breaking free from the kiss. „Wait, wait.“

The merman froze and stared at Dominic, eyes fearful. The blond smiled and leant forward for a short kiss.

„Shoes first, or the trousers get stuck.“

Matthew nodded and grinned. Before Dominic could react, the merman had dived underwater and was busy removing Dominic‘s shoes and yanking the trousers down right after. He surfaced again and threw the garments into the boat, before attacking Dominic‘s lips again.

Hands running over each other‘s skin, bodies pressed against each other and legs and tail entwined, they slowly sank further down. Dominic‘s hands tangled in the soft hair, running down over Matthew‘s throat, feeling the covers over the gills heave and sink. He felt Matthew‘s hand on him, running over his shoulders, back and bottom. He could feel them spiralling down into the depths of the ocean, Matthew directing their flow in helices. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was _dancing_.

Dominic felt Matthew‘s tongue in his mouth, and gulped down the breath he found there. He realised that the merman was breathing for both of them, through his gills. But too soon, he felt the pressure around him increasing, and even breathing the oxygen Matthew provided became hard work. He scratched at Matthew‘s arms, pointing upwards when he had the other‘s attention.

Matthew nodded and steered them upwards, never breaking the contact of their lips. After what felt like an eternity, they surfaced again and Dominic broke their kiss. They remained floating next to the boat, smiling sadly at each other.

„I want to come with you,“ Dominic whispered into Matthew‘s ear, but the merman shook his head.

„We belong in two different worlds.“ He placed a gentle kiss on Dominic‘s lips. „We must part now. Thank you, Dominic,“ he whispered and dived down, disappearing into the dark ocean and leaving a freezing Dominic to climb into his boat and row back to land.

The day after, Dominic dragged himself into the library, coughing and sneezing and feeling empty.

„Merpeople gone?“ the librarian greeted him, offering an understanding smile and a cup of hot tea.

Dominic nodded and accepted the tea, handing the old man the book back. „The man in this book, it‘s you, isn‘t it?“

The librarian nodded.

„That‘s why you never married,“ Dominic pondered. „All those rumours in the castle…“

The old man chuckled briefly. „I don‘t want to know half of them.“ He pointed to a small table and two chairs and they made their way over to them. „I loved her, but she returned to the sea,“ the librarian continued, once they were seated. „They always do. They need the ocean as we need the land. Our worlds can never be one.“ He sighed and stared at his hands. „They‘re such fascinating creatures. True and loyal, if you succeed in gaining their trust.“

„Did you see her ever again?“ Dominic asked.

The old man nodded. „Yes, a few times.“ He smiled dreamily. „I rowed out and she came up to meet me. Neither of us ever found another mate; wife or husband. And now we‘re even too old to meet again.“

„Monogamous,“ Dominic murmured. He sipped from his tea and stared into the dark liquid. „I miss him already.“

The librarian raised his eyebrows when Dominic mentioned the sex, but didn‘t question him. „You danced, didn‘t you?“ he asked instead.

„Yes, I think we did,“ Dominic answered, realising with delay, what this meant for both of them. His parents wouldn‘t like the news that he wouldn‘t ever get married to a fair and noble woman and gift them with a plethora of descendants and heirs to the throne. He had found his partner. Found and lost and unable to choose another person over him.

„ At least you can use your bathtub again. There‘s already been talk about your recent lack of hygiene,“ the librarian stated.

Dominic shrugged and rose from the chair, hygiene the last thing on his mind. He thanked the librarian for the tea and left.

 

 

Dominic was once again sitting on the beach, staring into the wide, blue sea.

And longing.

Longing seemed all he was able to do, since Matthew and he had parted about a week ago. He knew people were talking about his behaviour already, but he didn‘t care. He knew his parents were worried about him, but he didn‘t care about that either. He returned to the beach every day thrice. Morning, midday, evening. He would sit in the spot where he had found Matthew, wondering where the merman was. Was he okay? Would they ever meet again? Did he maybe long for the human, too? Or had he managed to move on? Had Matthew found someone to be with and not feel alone?

Dominic knew he was masochistic, but he couldn‘t help himself. He refused to let go of the tiniest shred of hope in finding Matthew on the beach again.

When he wasn’t staring at the sea and wallowing in solitude, Dominic often he visited the library. Talking to the old man about their encounters with the merpeople made him feel somewhat less lonely. But even the old man could not provide any consolation.

The blond sighed and rose, thinking about grabbing a few cookies from the kitchen and visiting the library again. He walked along the beach, deciding to cut down on his visits here and try to move on with his life, when he caught sight of something strangely familiar. He stopped in his tracks for a moment and gaped, before running as fast as he could through the sand.

„Matthew!“ he shouted, and fell down next to the form of the merman. He panted heavily, but grinned from one ear to the other.

„Seems I‘ve been washed up again,“ Matthew smiled and reclined on his elbows, waving his blue-white striped tail leisurely.

„There haven‘t been any merpeople been washed up in decades, and you manage to do it twice in a month?“

„I must be a very clumsy merman than and shouldn‘t be left on my own,“ Matthew answered seriously.

Dominic pouted and extended one hand to run it through Matthew‘s drying, black strands. „And there was me hoping you might have returned to the land because of me.“

The merman smirked and shuffled closer to Dominic. „If you can‘t come with me, I will come to you and your bathtub,“ he murmured against the human‘s lips. „And I remember you mentioned a lake, too.“ He pecked Dominic‘s lips lightly. „And I want to know how this old book ends.“

Dominic smiled and slung his arm around Matthew‘s torso, not caring about the sand invading his clothes. „You should meet the librarian. He wrote it.“

Matthew hummed, and slipped his tail between Dominic‘s legs. „I would like to see the library, actually.“ Wet lips pecked slightly dryer lips. „And your whole castle.“ A sneaky hand pressed between their bodies and cupped Dominic‘s length through his trousers. „And your penis.“

„Cheeky fish!“ Dominic exclaimed, rubbing softly against Matthew‘s hand. „You already saw me naked.“

„I felt you,“ Matthew answered, mischievous sparkle in his eyes. „But it was dark and I couldn‘t _see_.“

Dominic shook his head and sat up. „You‘re the most impudent piece of flotsam I ever picked up.“ He glanced down at the tail that was splayed over his legs. The blond slowly ran his hands over the scales and the tattered back fin, settling for following one of the white lines. „I never saw this colour on you.“

„It‘s my mating pattern,“ Matthew explained, dragging his tail fins seductively over Dominic‘s lap „Do you like it?“

„It‘s beautiful,“ Dominic answered. „Are you going to dance for me?“

„I had hoped you could join me again on a warm full moon night?“

„I‘d be happy to,“ Dominic grinned and rose to stand, picking Matthew up to carry him back to his bathtub as requested.

„I want a bigger bathtub, though,“ the merman demanded. „I need space to move. Do you even _know_ how my back _ached_ from not being able to stretch for over a week? And besides, I demand you join me in the bathtub at least once a day, and yours is far too small for two people.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I stole the underwater breathing from Waterworld. Sue me. No, really, don‘t. Just… don‘t.


	2. A New Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which A Journey starts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… maybe you should look at the last part as a Pilot, this is going to be different from the fairy tail I started with. Guess this is influenced by my half-assed research to the Flying Dutchman.   
> And I hope I won‘t extend that to a potential HUUUUGE story either.
> 
> And yes, Merman Matthew underwent a slight redesign. I added a scar (That wound was just too nasty to heal without any scar tissue) and he has fins on his arms now and an additional pair on the tail. That means I may have to rewrite some descriptions of the first part again…
> 
>  **Thanks:** go to all the twitter friends who help me finding words and names throughout the whole course of this chapter.
> 
>  **Beta:** Aero, the Mighty Minty One

_Dominic stared out at the sea, the wind tousling his long, blond hair. Some metres away, he saw Matthew swimming and occasionally jumping playfully out of the water, the sinking sun coating his pale skin in gold and orange._

_„Oi! Howard!“ a harsh voice wafted up to him. „Shift change! Get down from the crow‘s nest!“_

_„Yes, Capt‘n!“ Dominic shouted down and carefully climbed towards the deck, passing the yards and walking to the railing to wave at Matthew. The merman swam nearer to the barque and waved back, grinning cheerfully._

_„I‘m just going to get some food into me and then I can join you for an evening swim,“ Dominic shouted down, ignoring the sniggering of the crew behind him._

 

Matthew sat in the library, as he did every day since he’d returned to Dominic about a month ago. He was wrapped in a damp blanket and a wet scarf was slung around his neck to keep his tail and gills moist. He flipped through a book about life under the sea. Noticing a movement to his left, he glanced up to see the librarian had sat down on the chair next to him. The merman smiled broadly and returned his attention to the book he was engrossed in.

„Do you actually understand anything written in there?“ the old man teased.

Matthew looked up briefly and poked his tongue out at the librarian, before returning his attention to the book again. The two men sat in silence, the merman flicking through the pages and marvelling at the pictures, while the human sipped at his tea, sighing with pleasure from time to time.

„We could try and get you two together again,“ Matthew spoke, after he had finished the book. He closed the back cover and stared earnestly at the librarian. „I could find her and Dominic could row you out.“

„No, we bid farewell, many years ago.“ The old man shook his head and stared into his tea cup.

„But…“ Matthew objected, but was cut off.

„How could you possibly find _one_ particular mermaid in such a huge ocean?“

„She‘d never leave this territory while you‘re still here.“

„No, thank you,“ the librarian smiled at Matthew, „ We promised we‘d be happy just remembering the good old days.“

The merman raised an eyebrow and stared at the old human, lips forming a pout.

The old man laughed lightly. „Don‘t give me that stare, Wilhelmina has tried it, too. Many times. I‘m immune.“

Still pouting, Matthew snorted. „You‘re stupid.“

„I can see how you became Dominic‘s Prince Charming,“ the librarian answered, grinning broadly. „But your blanket‘s becoming dry, so we should move you back to your bathtub.“

“Is that you telling me the discussion is over?“ Matthew huffed.

The librarian rose from his chair and walked over to push Matthew‘s wheelchair towards the door. „Smart fish.“

Matthew rolled his eyes, but remained silent. He reclined in the chair, waving his tail fins idly. Dominic had organised an old wheelchair for Matthew to use, so the merman was a bit more mobile and the human didn‘t have to carry him everywhere.

„Sometimes, I‘d like to have legs and be able to walk,“ Matthew murmured. „Just so I wouldn‘t be this dependent on you and Dominic to always move me around…“

The librarian smiled and ruffled the black strands on Matthew‘s head. „I know, but you‘re far from being a burden to us, son.“

Matthew turned his head and simply smiled at the old man.

 

Dominic returned to his room after his daily fencing lessons. He removed his sweat-soaked shirt and raised an arm to sniff underneath. Shuddering, he let his arm fall down again and glanced towards the bathroom door. If Matthew was still in the library?

The blond made his way towards his bathroom and smiled. He was happy that Matthew and the librarian got along as well as they did. That way, someone was around to entertain the merman when Dominic was busy with all the obligations of being a prince. He still hadn‘t found the courage to introduce Matthew to his parents. He couldn‘t imagine them being too happy about him planning to spend his life with a merman. He pushed those thoughts away and shoved the door to the bathroom open.

Vibrant blue tail fins waved at him from the huge bathtub in the middle of the room. Dominic‘s smiled returned to his lips at this timid greeting. The human walked swiftly over and leant forward to wave at Matthew.

The merman lay on the bottom, grinning and waving back cheerfully. Long, pale fingers moved to grip the rim of the bronze bathtub and Matthew surfaced.

„How was fencing?“ he asked excitedly, before Dominic could utter a greeting. „Did you win?“

„Well, not really, my teacher still beats me every time,“ Dominic answered and gently pushed some of the wet strands out of Matthew‘s eyes.

The merman hummed sympathetically. He stretched his arms to pull Dominic down; chill, wet fingers slipping over warm, dry skin. „Kiss me,“ Matthew demanded.

Giving into the pulling limbs, Dominic leant down to brush his nose against Matthew‘s. „I should warn you, though, I stink of sweat.“

„Well, what a good thing there‘s a bath waiting for you here,“ Matthew murmured against Dominic‘s lips. He closed the gap between their mouths and slowly fell back, but Dominic stopped the movement by grabbing the rim of the bathtub.

Matthew broke the kiss and pouted at Dominic, one eyebrow raised and silently demanding an explanation for this, in his mind, highly rude and annoying behaviour.

„Maybe I should use the spare tub,“ Dominic grinned and pointed at the old, abandoned bathtub in the corner of the room. „I don‘t want to get your water all dirty.“

Matthew glanced disdainfully at the tub he had spent his first weeks in the castle in. When he looked back at Dominic, his pout had increased and he let go of Dominic‘s neck to yank impatiently at his belt. „No, I want you in _this_ bathtub,“ Matthew growled, his voice conveying just how much sulking and silent treatment Dominic could expect, if he _didn’t_ humour the merman right now.

„Why, you stubborn, little piece of flotsam,“ Dominic growled back, but helped Matthew get rid of his belt nevertheless. „Who has to take care you have always fresh water, eh?“

„Well, if you have to change it anyway, you might as well help me get it dirty,“ the merman reasoned smugly.

Dominic was about to step out of his trousers, when he heard a knock on the door to his chambers and his father‘s voice calling his name.

„Shit!“ He cursed and pulled his trousers up, shooting panicked glances from Matthew to the door. „Just a moment!“ he shouted towards the door, bending down to kiss the frowning merman.

„Dominic, I need to talk to you about your recent behaviour,“ the King’s voice reached them, together with the sound of a door being opened. The blond froze, barely managing to turn his head towards the bathroom door.

„Dominic, where are you?“ The King‘s voice sounded again.

Dominic gulped. This was not how he had wanted to introduce Matthew to his parents, but now was as good as any time to do so. „I‘m in the bathroom,“ he finally shouted. He heard his father‘s steps approaching fast.

„Your mother and me, we‘re worried about…“ The King’s voice died when he saw the other man sitting in his son’s bathtub. He stood and stared dumbfounded at Matthew, trying to regain his composure.

Dominic glanced down at Matthew. The merman was hiding his fins in the tub, even his arms were underwater. This way he would appear more like a human to someone who stood in the doorway and had only a restricted view of him.

The King gulped and turned to Matthew. „Could you please leave, sir? I need to talk to my son in private.“

„That could be a bit of a problem,“ Dominic tried, „Matthew, he‘s…“ The blond gesticulated weakly. Deciding to help Dominic out of his misery, Matthew raised his tail to reveal his fins to the King.

Dominic‘s father gaped at his son, to the fins and Matthew and then back at his son. „This is a joke?!“

Matthew frowned and let his tail sink back into the water, settling for simply glaring at the King.

„No, this is not a joke,“ Dominic answered his father. „He‘s… Matthew is my chosen partner.“

Dominic‘s father narrowed his eyes at the couple and jerked his head towards Dominic‘s chamber. „Follow me.“

Dominic sighed and glanced at Matthew, who frowned up at him. The human leant down to kiss the merman‘s nose. „I‘ll be back in a few minutes.“

Matthew nodded and watched Dominic leave the room, clicking the door shut behind him.

„So…“ Dominic‘s father started, once his son had entered the room and closed the bathroom door. „You‘ve got a gay fish.“

Dominic blinked, taken aback for a moment. „He‘s a merman, not a fish,“ he finally ground out.

„Fine, you want to experiment.“ His father shrugged. „You‘re curious and young, I understand that, but you don‘t think this is something for life, do you?“

„Why wouldn‘t I?“ Dominic retorted.

„Because of two things,“ his father answered. „First, he‘s a male and second, he‘s a merman; he‘s not human.“

„What does the fact that he‘s male have to do with anything?“

„He can‘t give you an heir to the throne.“

„But he chose me as his mate, too. He bloody gave up his own habitat!“

„Don‘t curse at me!“ the King growled. „And no-one asked him to follow you onto land and spend his days in your bathtub.“

„How do you know that I didn‘t ask him?“ Dominic snapped.

His father faltered for a moment. „Did you?“

„No, I didn‘t have to,“ the younger man admitted.

The King sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. „Dominic, you have to think about the kingdom. Your life does not only belong to _you_. You can‘t just chose any person you like to spend your life with that easily.“

„I could still rule,“ Dominic responded. „And I‘ve got a sister. She can give birth to an heir, too!“

„And what do you think the people would say about your partner?“ his father retorted. „And the noblemen? Maybe you could sell a fairy tale to the commoners, but not to the noblemen. They will hardly accept a merman as your _bride_.“

Dominic stared at his father for a while before hanging his head, defeated. „Give me time to think?“

„Of course, my son,“ the King answered in a placatory tone, one hand on his son‘s shoulder.

Dominic nodded and watched his father leave his chambers. He sighed and turned to walk back to the bathroom. He had no doubt that the merman had heard the whole discussion and would be in quite a difficult mood.

As Dominic had expected, Matthew sat in the bathtub, not submerged, but staring darkly into the water.

„Matthew?“ he asked, when he had reached the bathtub.

„Just take me back to the sea,“ Matthew murmured, without looking up.

„What?“ This was not the reaction Dominic had expected at all. He had thought Matthew would refuse to leave, stubbornly clinging to his bathtub if necessary. The human frowned down at the slumped merman.

„I won‘t be in your way, you know?“ Matthew snarled. „A future King can‘t spend his life with a washed up piece of flotsam.“

„Are you mad?“ Dominic almost shouted at Matthew.

The merman finally raised his eyes to look at Dominic. „No, your father is right. The librarian and Mina did the right thing. We‘ve been stupid to think this could ever work out. Let‘s part before it‘s far too late for us to lead a normal life.“

„You bloody well know that it already _is_ too late for that!“

„At least humans aren‘t monogamous,“ Matthew hissed viciously. „You can still find a fair lady to marry.“

„Some of us _are_ monogamous!“ Dominic hissed back, no less viciously. He felt hurt by Matthew‘s assumption that he could just leave the merman behind and move on so easily.

„Just take me back to the sea,“ Matthew repeated, looking away from Dominic.

„Fine! I‘ll take you back to the sea!“ Dominic exclaimed. „But don‘t think I won‘t follow you.“

Matthew kept his eyes averted from Dominic for a few more seconds, before giggling, much to Dominic‘s surprise. „And they say merpeople are stubborn.“ He turned to face Dominic, arms resting on the rim of the bathtub. „You know, you‘d have to live on fish if you followed me?“

Dominic scrunched his face up in disgust and shuddered, causing Matthew to laugh again. Dominic sank to his knees next to the bathtub, arms hanging over its rim, left and right of Matthew. „You know, I didn‘t want to hide you away.“ He run his hands over the wet, back of the merman, relieved that at least the crisis within his relationship had been averted. „I wanted you to meet my parents. Just…“

Matthew leant forward to peck Dominic‘s nose. „You were afraid you‘d get this reaction…“

The human nodded. „Yes.“

 

Dominic found his parents in the Throne Room, talking to the librarian. His suspicions that they were talking about him and Matthew were proven right, when he heard the librarian speak.

„Dominic won‘t ever consider getting married to someone else.“

Before his father or mother could answer, the blond had pushed open the door and entered. He nodded at the old man. „Thank you, friend, but I think I can talk for myself now.“

„Dominic!“ his mother exclaimed, and rushed forward to take her son‘s hands.

„Matthew will return to the sea,“ Dominic announced, not bothering with any greetings. He looked at his father, keen to see his reaction. The King seemed surprised, but nodded nonetheless. But Dominic could feel the librarian‘s shocked eyes boring into the side of his head. He drew a deep breath before he continued with his decision. „And I will follow him.“

The King‘s face fell, stuck between disbelief and anger. The Queen just gaped, wide-eyed at her son. Dominic glanced at the librarian, who only just managed to suppress a smile. „The noblemen won‘t have to accept a King and his merman if I sign on for a ship. Problem solved.“

Nodding at his parents and the librarian, Dominic disentangled his hands from his mother‘s and left the room. He didn‘t felt like dealing with his father right now.

 

The following morning saw a slightly awkward royal family sitting in the dining room. Dominic‘s mother tried her best to lighten the mood, but the King‘s persistent silence ruined her attempts. In the end, she settled for chatting with Dominic‘s sister, Arabella.

Dominic was the first to finish his meal. He rose from the chair and let his eyes wander over the table. After a short moment, he reached out to gather some bread rolls and fruit.

„Matthew will be hungry, too,“ he explained.

„I would like to talk to him,“ the King said.

Dominic paused, and glanced up, surprised at his father. He wondered if it was a good idea to bring the two of them together, but he couldn‘t keep them apart forever either. The sooner the two started talking, the better. Maybe there was a chance they‘d get along. Dominic nodded. „We could try this afternoon.“

Several hours later, the King made his way to Dominic‘s chambers. He knocked on the door, feeling somewhat nervous. When no-one opened the door after a few minutes, he hesitantly pushed the door handle and let himself in. Voices wafted over from the bathroom, and the King called his son.

„Just a moment,“ Dominic‘s voice answered. The King heard more hushed words, followed by hurried footsteps and then the blond appeared in the room. „Father, I didn‘t hear you knocking.“

„I guess you were busy in the bathroom…“ the King offered, smiling weakly.

Dominic nodded. „I told Matthew you want to talk to him. He‘s not enthusiastic about it, but well…“ the blond shrugged. „Good luck.“ He smiled at his father and left his chambers.

The King sighed and entered Dominic‘s bathroom. He gulped. _Never_ had he felt more unwelcome just by being stared at, than in this moment. He took a deep breath and walked over to the chair next to the bathtub, the merman‘s hostile stare unfaltering.

„Matthew, I want to apologise for my beha…“

„No, I get it,“ Matthew cut over his words. „You don‘t like me. No need to feign cordiality.“ Without another word, the merman submerged, signalling just how much interest in talking to the older man he had.

The King stared helplessly into the water. He considered reaching into the bathtub to try and pull the merman up and talk to him, but he recoiled from the glare that met him from within. He sat next to the tub for half an hour, hoping that Matthew would surface again, but the merman showed no signs of complying. He had turned around and was lying sideways in the bathtub, with his back to the King. As far as the human could tell, the merman even had his arms crossed.

Sighing, the King rose from his chair and left. He could have sworn he heard a splash of water, the moment he closed the door. He returned over the following days, always in time to see Matthew submerging just as he opened the door. He had the niggling suspicion that the merman was waiting for the precise moment the King would enter the room, just so he could make a show of disappearing.

„Told you.“ Dominic approached his father after they had played the submerging game for six days. „If he doesn‘t want to talk to you, he won‘t. It took days to get him to speak to me, and I had saved his life and was obviously concerned about his well-being.“

His father sighed and glanced at the door to the room he just had left, once again without speaking one single word. „Can‘t you help me somehow?“

 

The following day, the King entered Dominic‘s bathroom, carrying a tray with pasta, salad and ice-cream. Matthew froze before fully submerging and narrowed his eyes. He glanced at the blond behind the King. Dominic, who only had looked into the room from behind his father to see Matthew‘s reaction, recoiled from the glare shot in his direction. He closed the door and sat down on his bed with a book.

Once the door had clicked shut, the King advanced on the merman, who remained above the water and had settled for simply staring at him. The human put the tray down on the small table next to the bathtub and sat down again, watching Matthew reach forward to pull the ice-cream towards him.

„Don‘t you think the dessert should come last?“ The King tried to engage small talk.

Matthew looked at him as if he had lost his mind and returned his attention to the cold dessert, sticking his fingers into it and licking them clean. The King watched him eat, barely managing to refrain from making comments about cutlery. Matthew finished the ice-cream, running his fingers one last time around the glass and suckling on them, already reaching for the pasta with his other hand.

Appalled, the King watched the merman eat the main dish just as he’d done with the ice-cream: with his hands.

„Do you plan on giving me the silent treatment forever?“ he finally ground out.

Matthew glanced at him, before returning his attention to the matter at hand. „Why do you care?“ he asked, with his mouth full. „You just want to see me gone, don‘t pretend you‘d give a shit about talking to me.“

Dominic‘s father frowned. „Don‘t you think you‘re being rude?“

„Guess why I‘m doing it,“ Matthew answered cheerfully.

„Look, I know you don‘t want to part from my son, but do you think what you’re planning is a solution?“

Matthew frowned and for the first time in days, gave the King his full attention. „It is one solution, and not a bad one, since staying here is out of question.“

„Can‘t you talk him out of it again?“

„Why should I?“ Matthew retaliated, and licked his fingers clean before reaching out for a bit of the salad. „To do his father, who hates me, a favour, and condemn us both to a life in loneliness and despair?“

„Can‘t you just let him go?“ the King exclaimed.

Matthew‘s hand froze mid-way to the salad and he narrowed his eyes at the King. „Oh, of course!“ he shouted. The human noticed the merman‘s tail becoming rapidly darker, until the scales shimmered black. „I understand! I‘m the evil one, it‘s solely _my_ fault that Dominic wants to become a sailor.“ He plunged back into the water, showering the startled King with the chilly liquid.

The human sat on the chair for a moment, dumbfounded at this treatment. No-one ever had dared to shout at him like this before. He wondered why he shouldn‘t just let this damn fish be thrown into a huge kettle and cooked. Finally, he rose and made his way back into Dominic‘s chamber.

The blond looked up from his book when he heard the door open and close. „Did you two talk?“ he asked, perusing the wet patches on his father‘s clothes.

„Kind of,“ the King answered, rubbing at one of the wet parts on his sleeve. „He‘s a rude fish.“

„He isn‘t!“ Dominic frowned. „He‘s impudent on a good day, but not rude.“

„He thinks I hate him…“ the older man murmured.

„Is it any wonder?“ Dominic bit his tongue. His father usually didn‘t care for this kind of comeback, always concerned about good manners and politeness. To his surprise, the King didn‘t react to his question, but waved his hand helplessly.

„He‘s just so… so…“

„Stubborn?“ Dominic grinned. „Capricious? Impulsive?“

His father nodded and Dominic‘s grin deepened. „That‘s my fish,“ he chuckled. „And now I have to go and make amends for revealing his weak point to you.“

„Just what do you see in him?“ the King wondered, turning to leave the room.

Dominic just smiled and closed the door behind his father. He run his hands through his hair and walked to the bathroom, expecting the merman to be in a bad mood, if the wet patches on his father‘s robe were anything to go by.

Surprisingly, Matthew was sitting upright in the bathtub, but staring away from Dominic. His meal had remained untouched since his outburst. Dominic sank down on the chair and smiled at the sulking merman.

„You didn‘t finish your meal?“

„Not hungry,“ Matthew mumbled, still looking away. „ _Someone_ spoilt my appetite.“

„C‘mon, you can‘t _always_ ignore him.“

„Backstabber!“ Matthew hissed, and finally turned his head to glare at Dominic.

„He just wanted to…“ the human tried weakly, but was cut short by the furious merman.

„He wanted me to talk you out of your decision,“ Matthew snapped. „To _let you go_. He thinks it was _my_ idea that you should follow me! He hates me, he wants me gone and I don‘t need him anywhere near my bathtub ever again!“ he shouted and submerged once again.

Dominic froze, staring down into the water. „I…“ he stuttered, and leant forward to pull the weakly struggling merman back to the surface. „I didn‘t know that. Please, believe me, I wouldn‘t have helped him if I‘ve known he just wanted you to disappear again. And I always made it clear that it had been _my_ decision.“ He let go of Matthew and turned to dash out of the room. „I‘ll talk to him.“

„Dominic?“ Matthew‘s voice stopped the human.

The blond turned back to the slumped merman, offering a smile. „Yes?“

Matthew timidly reciprocated the smile and shuffled forward. „Join me for a while?“

„Of course.“

A few minutes later, Dominic sat in the bathtub, naked, with Matthew lying between his legs, back against Dominic‘s chest. The merman‘s head rested against Dominic‘s shoulder, eyes closed and tail fins swaying gently. The human smiled down at the armful of merman and ran his hands down Matthew‘s chest and tail.

He felt Matthew shiver gently and noticed pale, white stripes forming on his tail. Dominic grinned, quite pleased at Matthew‘s reaction to his caresses.

„You like this?“

Matthew hummed and nodded, shifting against Dominic. „Go deeper, please…“

Dominic did as he was told, adding his feet to stroke over Matthew‘s tail. Fascinated, he observed the colours becoming more vibrant. He chuckled. „Am I now learning how to arouse a merman?“

Matthew blushed and raised his arms to tangle behind Dominic‘s head, dark blue eyes shimmering playfully. „Yes.“

„Tell me what you want,“ the blond whispered into Matthew‘s ear, nibbling gently at his earlobe.

The merman whimpered lightly. „If you tell me what _you_ want, afterwards.“

Several minutes of stroking and hushed pleas, breathless kisses and nibbling later, Matthew lay in Dominic‘s arms, panting and weak, but grinning happily. Dominic brushed his hands up Matthew‘s arms and over his torso, stroking one finger along the scar that had remained from the deep wound Matthew had suffered, after the storm that had washed him up. The human ignored the sticky, white patches of fluid that floated in the water and slowly sank down and nuzzled into Matthew‘s neck.

„I read erotic books, too,“ Matthew announced, once he had calmed down enough to breathe normally. „Well, I had the librarian read them to me.“

Dominic gulped. „You did?“

Matthew nodded, his cheeks fire-red. „Do you want to… well, you know, in my mouth?“

„Matthew, you don‘t have to do that,“ Dominic stuttered. „But…“

The merman chuckled and submerged. Dominic yelped when he felt Matthew twisting and turning, his hands gripping the rim of the bathtub tightly when he felt a tongue quickly running down the length of his erection. Said tongue followed a path up over his stomach and chest, until the black mess of hair reappeared in front of the human again.

Matthew grinned mischievously at him. „I can even do it underwater.“ He made to dive again, but Dominic‘s hand on his arm stalled the merman‘s movement.

„Matthew, wait.“ Dominic extended his free hand and rested it against Matthew‘s cheek.

The merman‘s face fell. „You don‘t want me to.“

„Don‘t be stupid,“ Dominic hurried to retort. „I‘d be mad not to want to! But… well.“ He shrugged, dragging his thumb over Matthew‘s lips. „I would have the feeling I couldn‘t return the favour to the extent that I should.“

Matthew shrugged, obviously not seeing any problem, or at least not caring. „But it‘s something _I_ want to try, too, you don‘t have to ret…“

Dominic moved his hand to press his index finger against Matthew‘s lips, stilling his words. „I know, but just humour me for now, okay?“

„For now?“ Matthew raised an eyebrow, grinning in a way that had Dominic shivering.

The human nodded. „Just give me time to get used to this idea.“ He leant forward, whispering his confession against Matthew‘s wet lips. „Actually, I‘d come embarrassingly soon if you didn’t give my mind the chance to grow accustomed to this idea.“

Matthew giggled and pulled Dominic‘s lower lip between his teeth, sucking gently on it before letting it go. „Fine, but I will do _this_ ,“ he announced, voice allowing no argument. He pushed the human backwards so that Dominic had to recline against the metal wall of the bathtub.

The human yelped in surprise when he felt one hand grab his hip and another hand curling boldly around his erection.

„You promised to tell me what _you_ like,“ Matthew whispered, his face suddenly right in front of Dominic‘s, their chests and collarbones brushing over the other’s, and promises of bliss and sin in the merman‘s silken voice.

Dominic opened his mouth to answer, but could only gape helplessly, when he felt the smooth scales of Matthew‘s tail against his thighs and resting against the tip of his solid length. Instead of answering, he raised his hands and tightly intertwined them in the black strands on Matthew‘s head, pulling at them and hoping the merman would understand.

Matthew smirked and lunged forward to press his mouth against Dominic‘s, his hand picking up a slow pace.

 

„What has got into him?“ the King ranted, still peeved at Matthew‘s behaviour. He paced along the shelves of the library, picking up an old and battered book without a name. He flipped through the hand-written pages.

„He found his partner for life,“ the librarian answered, and carefully took the slim book out of the King‘s hands.

„Someone half-man, half-fish!“ the King snorted. „And how can Dominic know this early in his life? How can he be prepared to throw everything away?“

„With all due respect, your Majesty, I think you have no clue whatsoever,“ the librarian objected politely, shoving the book onto a shelf at the far back of the library.

„What?“ the King asked, narrowing his eyes.

„You don‘t accept one of the merpeople as a partner and then backtrack,“ the old man explained patiently. „This is a choice you make once in a lifetime, and it‘s something you never stray from. And if they are determined to stay together, I will help them. For Dominic, there‘s only one thing he could possibly throw away, and I‘m not going to influence him to do so.“

„That fish is rude!“ the King exclaimed, still too wound up to pay much attention to the librarian‘s explanations.

The old man raised an eyebrow. „Really? I only know him as a curious and gentle being, a bit cheeky, but amiable.“

„Are you taking sides?“

„Yes,“ the librarian answered, rolling his eyes. „I don‘t want them to make mine and Mina‘s mistake.“

„ _Father!_ “ Dominic‘s angry voice reached them and the blond stormed into the library, letting the doors fall shut with a loud bang behind him. The librarian winced, but thought it better to not berate the enraged prince.

„Dominic?“ the King asked, slightly unsettled by his son‘s outburst.

„How _dare_ you ask Matthew to influence my decisions to suit _your_ wishes?“ Dominic shouted. „How dare you imply he should let me go instead of influencing me in reaching foolish decisions? If I had known _that_ I would have _never_ let you anywhere near him!“ Dominic had walked up to his father, index finger poking harshly into his father‘s chest. „And you are appalled at _his_ behaviour? Take a look at yourself for a change!“

„Dominic, behave yourself!“ the King commanded.

„Majesty? This behaviour is out of order!“ the librarian interrupted, staring unbelievingly at the King.

„Don‘t you _dare_ berate me, minion,“ Dominic‘s father hissed at the old man.

„Someone has to, obviously!“ the librarian retorted, looking rather furious himself.

Dominic turned to him, leaving his father alone for the moment. „Thank you, friend, but I think I better speak for myself. Father can‘t sack _me_ , after all.“ He pointed at the shelves of books around them. „Why don‘t you fetch a good book and pay Matthew a visit? I think he’s interested in astrology at the moment.“

The librarian frowned at him, but walked towards one of the shelves and took one of the books. „ Are you sure?“

„Yes, thank you.“ Dominic nodded and smiled, waiting until the old man had left the library, before turning back to his father.

The King had raised an eyebrow. „Astrology?“

„Matthew‘s curious,“ Dominic explained, his demeanour already reverting to irate. „And don‘t digress.“

„So, you want to abandon your life here and travel around on a ship?“

Dominic nodded. „Yes. I‘ll sign on an argosy.“

„You really want to join the crew?“ his father asked unbelievingly.

„Yes,“ Dominic answered firmly. „How should I earn my keep if I don‘t work?“

„But you have never worked in your life!“

„About time I did.“ the young blond shrugged. „I‘ll find a captain, tell him I want to get to know real life, experience some adventures, learn to become a good ruler, go through the initial mocking of the crew and become a sailor. Who knows? Maybe one day I‘ll be a Captain.“

The King grabbed Dominic‘s shoulders tightly, almost shaking his son. „But you‘re a prince!“

„You’ve made pretty clear I can‘t be a prince, or even King, with a merman as partner,“ Dominic answered, unimpressed by his father‘s horror. „I have a sister. Arabella can become Queen and rule, I know she‘d be a good ruler.“

His father sighed and let his ams fall from Dominic‘s shoulders. „You think it‘s so easy…“

„No, I don‘t,“ the blond retorted. „But _you_ always think it‘s too complicated.“

„ At least travel as a guest and not as a sailor,“ the older man pleaded, but Dominic shook his head.

„I will be mocked either way, but I want to at least gain respect and belong to a group, rather than stand outside and hear them talking behind my back,“ he explained.

„But why? Why do you have to have a merman?“

„Maybe it‘s fate.“ Dominic shrugged. „I don‘t care. But you won‘t accuse Matthew of forcing _my_ decisions.“ Signalling that the conversation was over, he turned and left his father alone in the library.

 

Dinner that evening was once again a silent issue. The King left the room as soon as he’d finished, leaving his wife and two children at the table. The very same happened the next morning at breakfast.

„I heard you want me to become Queen and rule this country?“ Arabella asked her brother after their father had left the room.

Dominic nodded. „I obviously can‘t become King now, and you would be the better ruler anyway.“

Arabella smiled, sparing her brother the answer. They both knew that out of the two siblings, it was she who always proved to be just a bit smarter and wiser; she who actually stopped to think, instead of running headfirst into everything. She rose from her chair and walked past her brother, ruffling his hair on her way, and then gave her mother a peck on the cheek. „I wish you a good night and give Matthew my best regards.“

Dominic smiled warmly and nodded.

„And you‘re really sure you want this life?“ the Queen asked, once mother and son were alone in the vast dining room.

Dominic nodded. „I guess so. I can‘t be sure yet, since I haven‘t tried it, but Matthew and I need to find a way to be together. And becoming a seafarer is a good way of finding alternatives.“

„I would like to meet him.“

„I‘ll talk to him,“ Dominic answered. „Not sure how he‘ll take it after Father‘s behaviour towards him.“

That afternoon, when Dominic attended his fencing lessons, the Queen tried to approach a hostile, glaring merman.

„Good afternoon, Matthew,“ she greeted the silent merman, offering a timid smile.

Matthew nodded in acknowledgment, but remained silent.

The Queen walked over to the chair and sat down, gathering up her vast skirts. „I‘m not here to accuse you of stealing my son…“ she started, but regretted her opening words immediately.

Matthew squinted at her and made to submerge.

„Wait!“ the Queen rushed to say, holding one hand up as if begging him to wait and listen to her. „I trust Dominic. If he deems you worthy to spend his life with, you are. We have raised an independent and responsible son. I just want to get to know my son-in-law.“

Matthew froze mid-dive and stared at the woman for a while. He finally nodded and extended his hand towards her. Confused, the Queen blinked at the slender appendage.

„You humans have this strange ritual of pointing hands at each other when meeting for the first time, don‘t you?“ Matthew questioned the gesture.

„Yes, actually, we _shake_ hands,“ the Queen laughed, taking Matthew‘s hand and shaking it. „I‘m not used to it, though.“

The merman cocked his head and reclined against the back of the bathtub. „Why?“

„Oh, Queens don‘t get their hands shaken very often,“ Dominic‘s mother answered.

„Why not?“

 

When Dominic returned into his chambers after fencing, he could hear voices coming from his bathroom. That meant his mother was still in Matthew‘s company and she had actually managed to engage the stubborn fish in conversation. Smiling, he made his way over to greet Matthew and his mother. He was happy that at least these two seemed to get along nicely.

„Court protocol is mad,“ Matthew greeted Dominic, when the blond stepped into the bathroom. Dominic threw the merman a confused look and glanced at his mother. She was still sitting next to the bathtub, face crinkled in laughter lines.

Dominic emitted a confused chuckle. „Did you spend the past hour just talking about how to behave at court?“

The merman nodded. „I still don‘t understand most of it, though. Why do you need to have that many useless rules?“

Dominic stared at the merman, at a loss of what to answer. His mother laughed again and rose from the chair, holding her hand out to the black-haired inhabitant of the bathtub. „It was a pleasure to meet you, Matthew.“

Matthew smiled and shook the Queen’s hand, „The pleasure was all mine.“

She turned and made her way to the door, accompanied by her son. Before leaving Dominic‘s chambers, she turned back, smiling at the blond. „Don‘t let your father get you down. Matthew‘s gorgeous and quick-witted.“

„Does he have the _Motherly Seal of Approval_?“ Dominic asked, grinning widely.

His mother nodded and kissed him on forehead. „Yes, he has. And I‘m sure your father would approve too, if he could swallow his pride and honestly try to get to know him.“

Dominic raised a sceptical eyebrow. „I‘m not so sure about that.“

„I‘ll have a word with him, trust me.“

Dominic nodded and watched his mother walk down the corridor before closing his door. He walked back into the bathroom and knelt down next to the tub, arms leaning on the rim.

„Mother likes you,“ he whispered against the merman‘s lips.

Matthew smiled, pecking Dominic‘s lips lightly before answering, „She‘s nice.“

„She figures Father would like you, too,“ Dominic continued, aware that this topic could destroy the comfortable mood they both were in now, „If he would only swallow his pride and make an effort.“

Matthew fell back against the bathtub wall, staring darkly into the water. „She‘s wrong. He hates me.“

„He doesn‘t hate you,“ Dominic disagreed, glancing thoughtfully at the darkening tail of the merman. „He‘s just concerned about his kingdom and me…“

Matthew nodded and looked back at the human. „You have to defend him because he‘s your father.“

„Matthew, I…“

The merman shook his hand, raising one hand and pressing two fingers against Dominic‘s lips. „No, it‘s okay. I understand humans are a closer to their parents than merpeople.“ He let his hand drop, resting his arm on the edge of the bathtub.

Dominic softly traced Matthew‘s pulse with one finger, brushing the skin alongside the elongated fin. „You never told me about your family.“

Matthew shrugged and closed his eyes, directing more of his attention to Dominic‘s finger caressing his arm. „Not much to tell. Mother, father, ten brothers, twelve sisters.“

„That‘s a lot!“ Dominic exclaimed, forgetting to continue his finger‘s movement.

Matthew emitted a noise somewhere between chuckling and grunting, indignantly hitting his arm against Dominic‘s unmoving hand. „No, it really isn‘t,“ he continued, once Dominic had resumed his caress. „ We‘re a middle-sized family, really. Some of my siblings have even died already. And I think that‘s why we‘re not as close to our relatives as you. There are so many of us and the death rate is higher.“ He paused, shifting in the bathtub to be closer to Dominic, his other arm coming to rest over the rim, too. Without prompting, Dominic brought his free hand up to stroke the unattended limb, too. „They thought I was dead and had already moved on,“ Matthew murmured.

Dominic stared at the merman, feeling selfish and guilty for not once enquiring about Matthew‘s background. „I‘m sorry…“

Matthew shook his head. „It‘s okay. It was to be expected.“ Dominic looked doubtfully at him. The merman did not look as if it had been an easy thing to experience. He stared down at their hands, whispering more than talking. „It still… hurt,“ Matthew admitted. „Three of my siblings had found mates in that time, too. And they were happy, dancing all the time. And I was alone because I had left my mate behind and I missed you. I missed you so badly…“ He raised his head to look at Dominic. „I could not _not_ return to you.“

The blond offered a smile, and lifted his hands to stroke through Matthew‘s hair. „What did they say about you mating with a human?“

Matthew shrugged again. „They‘re not over the moon, but they don‘t care that much. I have found my mate, so I can leave the family and gift the world with my own spawn.“

„We‘ll never be able to have children…“ Dominic weakly pointed out, wondering if Matthew had been serious about wanting to procreate.

The merman smiled amusedly and reclined, eyes falling closed. „I know.“

Dominic shook his head, disbelieving, that after the rather serious confessions about his family, the merman could return to his cheeky personality this quickly. He stared in silence at the pale skin which was shining golden in the last rays of sun that broke through the window. Long eyelashes curved elegantly and the mess of wet, raven hair, a stark contrast to the ivory skin. Dominic‘s appreciative gaze wandered further over the long throat with the gill caps, and over Matthew‘s slim chest. His eyes followed the scar tissue that would most likely never disappear. He couldn‘t help but love this scar. After all, it had been this wound that had kept Matthew long enough in his bathtub for them to get to know each other.

His eyes wandered further over the blue tail, the tattered back fin hidden underneath for the time being, but the two other small fins and the big tail fins, still plain to see and swaying slowly. Dominic smiled and directed his eyes back to the merman’s upper body, taking in the long fingers on Matthew‘s hands. For a moment, Dominic wondered if merpeople were usually of slender build, or if Matthew was an exception.

The human looked back at Matthew‘s face. His eyes were still closed, but a knowing smirk played on his lips. 

„Will you take advantage of me now?“ the merman asked without bothering to open his eyes. „I know you want to.“

„Cheeky fish,“ Dominic retorted, grinning. Did Matthew know him that well already, to know that Dominic had been admiring him without actually having seen him do so?

„You love me for it,“ he retorted playfully.

„Indeed, I do,“ Dominic answered, surprised at how serious he sounded. He hadn‘t meant his statement to sound as earnest as it had come out. And while he meant what he had said, he’d also wanted to stay on the playful, teasing level.

Matthew opened his eyes, equally surprised at the sentiment resonating in the human‘s voice. „You…“ he started, but failed to form another word.

Dominic nodded and leant forward until his nose almost touched Matthew‘s. „…love you.“

Matthew yelped delightedly and wrapped his arms around the human‘s neck. „I want to dance with you. Now.“

 

„I thought he‘s going to murder me!“ the King exclaimed, pacing the library restlessly. „You should have seen him! His tail became _black_ and his _stare_ … so furious and hateful.“ He shuddered, thinking back to the previous evening. After his wife had spoken to him, suggesting he should give the merman another chance and be patient, he had walked to Dominic‘s room.

Upon opening the door, he had seen Dominic and Matthew, in the middle of the room; Dominic circling the merman‘s waist and holding him close, Matthew‘s arms slung around Dominic‘s neck and his face buried in the human’s neck. The King only had one second to gaze at the peacefully swaying couple before Matthew raised his head to glare at the intruder. Intimidated by the sudden change in the merman, the King had mumbled an apology and retreated hurriedly.

„Maybe you should master the art of knocking on a door and waiting for an answer, before bursting into other people‘s chambers,“ the librarian pointed out, voice free of emotion. „And Matthew‘s reaction really isn‘t surprising at all. You really shouldn‘t disturb dancing merpeople.“

The King stopped his pacing and frowned at the old man. „What does that dance mean? Is it some kind of ritual?“

„You could say that. It‘s a mating ritual,“ the librarian explained. „They only dance with – and for – those they choose as their partner. You disturbed quite an intimate moment there.“

„It‘s not as if I was walking in on them doing…“ the King gesticulated helplessly, „You know, right?“

The old man rolled his eyes. „No, you walked in on something that goes far deeper.“

The King frowned and opened his mouth to ask another question, but the door was pushed open before he could do so. He turned to see Dominic pushing a wheelchair into room. And sure enough, the wheelchair contained a merman, wrapped in wet blankets. The King didn‘t fail to notice the vibrant blue of the protruding tail fins turning darker.

„Maybe I should return to my bathtub,“ Matthew murmured, in place of a greeting.

„No, please, don‘t go because of me,“ the King hurried to assure, glad that a chance now presented itself to talk to the merman, without him being able to literally drown out each and every approach.

Matthew snorted derisively and rolled the wheelchair to one of the bookshelves.

„What do you want to read about?“ The King approached him, trying to ignore the curious stares of his son and the librarian.

„Leave me alone,“ Matthew hissed, without turning his head towards the man.

Just then, someone else stepped into the library. The Queen glanced around, surprised to meet so many people in the usually quite deserted room. She nodded at the librarian and pecked Dominic‘s cheek, before walking over to the merman.

„Matthew, what a nice surprise to see you here!“ she exclaimed, treating the merman with a peck on the cheek as well.

The merman turned his head and smiled „Adrienne, how are you?“

„I‘m fine, just thought I‘d look for a new book to read.“ She waved with the novel she had borrowed before. „What are you interested in?“

„I have no idea yet,“ Matthew shrugged and stretched his arms to point at the many shelves. „This room holds so many books and knowledge! I just can‘t decide.“

Dominic‘s father stood next to them, astonished at the closeness between his wife and the merman. „I never knew merpeople could read,“ he tried to engage in small talk.

Matthew gave no answer, but glared sideways at him. Something in the way the merman refused to answer, told the King that Matthew‘s silence was not only due to his aversion towards the human.

„Oh…“ the King stammered, embarrassed.

„Satisfied?“ Matthew hissed viciously. „The dumb merman can‘t read because there are no books under the sea. Dumb merman is even too dumb to pick up on how to read within a month and a half. Anything else you want to know, so you can despise me even more?“

„I don‘t despise you…“ the King reasoned weakly.

„You do your best to prove the opposite,“ Matthew snapped.

„You aren‘t exactly agreeable either.“

„Well, you weren‘t exactly polite or nice towards Matthew to start with,“ Adrienne reminded her husband.

The King stared at his wife and turned his head to look at the librarian and Dominic. „Why is everyone siding with the fish?“ he cried out, frustrated that the whole world had obviously decided it was perfectly normal for his son to mate with a merman.

„Don‘t call me _fish_ ,“ Matthew snarled. „ _You_ are not allowed to call me a fish.“ He managed to turn the chair and promptly wheeled out of the library.

Dominic glared at his father and wanted to follow his lover, but the King grabbed his arm before he could leave. „Please, let me…“

The blond frowned. „I should _not_ let you alone with him _ever_ again.“

„I know, but please give me another chance.“

Dominic glared at his father: „Ten minutes,“ he finally answered and stepped to the side to give his father room to move. „After that, I‘m going to rescue him from you.“

The King nodded and hurried after the merman, hoping he‘d catch him before he reached Dominic‘s chambers again. He discovered Matthew when he turned into the next corridor.

„Matthew, please, wait…“

„I told you to leave me alone,“ Matthew snapped and gave the wheels an extra hard push. The King sped up and reached the wheelchair, grabbing its handles to stop Matthew from fleeing. He quickly let go of the wheelchair again, when Matthew lashed at his hands with an irate growl. Nevertheless, the merman remained where he was and manoeuvred the wheelchair around to face the King.

„Why are you so hostile towards me?“

„Take an educated guess.“

„Look, I don‘t know much about merpeople, how do I know you‘re not just playing with him?“

To the King’s utter bewilderment, Matthew glared at him with the same furious look as the evening before; even the fins on his arms turning black. „You better get out of my sight,“ he snarled, voice full of rage.

„I am trying to apologise…“ the King muttered weakly.

„By affronting me even more?“ Matthew shouted. „You‘re quite the genius, aren‘t you?“

The King gulped, trying to ignore the servant who just had passed them and who was now glancing curiously at them.

„Can we take this somewhere else?“ the King asked.

„No, why? Don‘t want any witnesses when getting rid of me?“ Matthew mocked him.

„I don‘t want to get rid of you!“

„Oh, that‘s quite a new tune, coming from your lips,“ the merman stated in mock surprise, voice sharp, with a cold undertone. „I‘m afraid you’ve got the melody wrong, though.“

„Can‘t we just have a fresh start?“ Dominic‘s father asked, tired of arguing. „Leave all this behind us and try to get to know each other?“

„No,“ Matthew answered without hesitation.

The King stared at him, taken aback by the harsh answer. „Why not?“

„Because merpeople are stubborn,“ Matthew retaliated and pushed the wheelchair towards Dominic, who was just approaching them. The King stared after the leaving couple, Matthew‘s last, whispered words in his ears. „And you have hurt me.“

„Did you two get anything settled?“ Dominic asked once they were out of earshot.

„I think he‘s trying,“ Matthew answered.

„And?“

„He can struggle a bit longer.“

Dominic smiled wryly. „You won‘t make it easy for him, will you?“

Matthew shook his head. „Not if he insists on insulting me every time he talks to me.“

Frowning, Dominic opened his mouth to ask, but Matthew shook his head, ending the conversation.

 

The weeks went by, and Dominic was busy finding an argosy he could sign on to. He finally found the Black Swan, whose captain accepted the Prince in his crew after some serious convincing. However, Dominic remained silent about his true intentions, only reasoning that he wanted to get to know the life of his people before he became King.

His father was still trying to get into Matthew‘s good books. He had invited the merman to dine with them, and after the obligatory sulking and more convincing from Dominic, Matthew had accepted, figuring it would be more interesting to eat with the family, than only with Dominic and in his bathtub. He still refused to engage in small talk with the King; only speaking when absolutely necessary. Fortunately though, he got along well with Dominic‘s mother and sister and so the meals were not accompanied by uncomfortable silence.

„This is our last night in this castle, once again…“ Matthew murmured, lying in his bathtub and looking up at Dominic.

The human nodded. „I know. How are you?“

„Excited,“ Matthew grinned, waving his tail fins. „How do you feel?“

„Excited,“ Dominic answered, mirroring Matthew‘s grin. „And a bit scared. I’ve never been away from home and I’ve never needed to work before.“

„Do you want to change your mind?“ Matthew asked curiously, running his hand through Dominic‘s blond hair.

The human shook his head. „No… I want to see the world, discover new things and well, be with you without the restriction of a bathtub and wheelchair.“

Matthew smiled. „Arabella said she would throw me into the port basin tomorrow, when everybody is busy bidding you goodbye.“

Dominic laughed. „That sounds like something she would do. Although, I hope my family will _not_ insist on accompanying me to the ship. How embarrassing would that be?“

„Very.“ Matthew nodded earnestly. „I will catch up with you when you‘re at sea.“

The human nodded and extended a hand to push some strands of hair out of Matthew‘s eyes. „Mind if I join you for a while in the bathtub?“

„No, not at all,“ Matthew grinned and shuffled forward to make room for Dominic.

The blond quickly shed his clothes and climbed into the bathtub, reclining and pulling Matthew against him. The merman shifted until he was resting with his side against Dominic‘s chest, head nuzzling against the crook of the human‘s neck, and was gently snoring within a few minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barque: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barque>  
> Argosy: A merchant ship <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argosy>


	3. Well, I found a new way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Superstitions are encountered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying something different once again. :p  
> Let‘s see if I manage to keep this up.  
> And I‘d like to say sorry for:  
> A) any mistakes I made in the terms I used here. I‘m not into sailing, and I have to look them up in two languages… And often just to mention them in a sentence that‘s not even that important…  
> B) For using those terms. XD I know most of you won‘t know what they are (I wouldn‘t either), but I don‘t only want to use general terms. This story is happening on a ship in great parts, so I have to deal with the jargon that‘s used there.
> 
> Title borrowed from Franz Ferdinand‘s Ulysses
> 
>  **Thanks:** To mittendorfer and ebonystar for helping me with the sailing terms.
> 
>  **Beta:** Veeeeeeeee

_Two men sat on the terrace of the castle, looking out over the calm ocean. The man with the fishtail was perched upon the other‘s lap, head resting against the human‘s shoulder. Black and blond hair had become silver and white over the course of a multitude of years spent together and finally the hair had started to fade away._

_Dominic ran his hands through Matthew‘s sparse, white hair, crinkles deepening with smiles. The merman hummed lazily and let his tail glide up and down over Dominic‘s legs._

_„Do you miss the sea?“ Dominic asked eventually._

_Matthew nodded. „Yes, but I‘d miss you more if I was in the ocean. And besides, I‘m too old and weak to survive.“ He shifted his head to glance up at his love. „What about you? Do you miss life at sea?“_

_„Yes, sometimes,“ Dominic admitted and pecked the merman‘s forehead._

_„Aaaah, my two favourite saps,“ a voice laced in mirth and Scottish accent reached their ears. „Wallowing in nostalgia again?“_

_The couple turned their heads towards the newcomer. A man in a stained, white suit stood in the door to the terrace. He was of about the same age as the two old men on the terrace, his hair long gone and deep, joyful crinkles adorning his face._

_„It‘s the weather,“ Dominic answered. „There‘s a storm coming up and the tranquillity before always makes me nostalgic.“_

_Matthew nodded at the newcomer in greeting. „Alex.“_

_The old man sat on one of the free chairs and directed his gaze towards the sea. „Guess it‘s got to do with knowing you‘ll soon have to fight for your life. Makes you contemplate if you‘ve got anything to regret or if you‘ve led your life to the fullest.“_

_„Storms can wash up exciting changes, too,“ Dominic smiled, kissing Matthew‘s temple._

_Alex rolled his eyes at the open display of affection.:“I still remember when you two joined the crew as if it was yesterday.“_

_„Yes, you were constantly hitting on my man and wanted to cook me,“ Matthew stated dryly._

_„I hit on you, too.“ Alex smirked, winking at the merman. „ And I‘m happy I didn‘t cook you. Your appreciation for fine food and your hearty appetite are the very reasons why someone would be inspired to become a cook.“_

_Matthew grinned in a rather pleased manner and pointed at Alex‘ jacket. „Are those pasta stains?“_

_The old cook tapped his nose with one finger. „That‘s for me to know and for you to find out, bonnie.“_

_Dominic listened half-heartedly to the friendly banter and allowed his thoughts drift off to a time long ago.  
_

 

Dominic lay in his hammock, staring at the deckhead and trying to sleep. He thought about the last three months on the Black Swan. The work was even harder than he had dared to imagine and the mocking of the crew had been downright cruel. The blond stretched and turned in the swaying net, snores filling the room. At least the crew had gradually accepted him and the ridiculing and teasing was on a friendly level now and more a sign of being part of the group.

However, meeting Matthew was difficult, and Dominic had not dared to introduce the merman yet. The prince turned over again and groaned. He missed Matthew. They hadn‘t managed to see each other for five weeks now, since the only chance to meet was when the barque anchored in a harbour. And while Dominic had found the life at sea fascinating, he grew frustrated by the greater than envisaged limits on his and Matthew’s ability to share their lives to the extent that they had originally hoped for.

Dominic emitted an angry growl and disentangled himself from the hammock and blanket and padded barefoot on deck. The night was chill and calm, without any cloud obscuring the stars and the full moon. Dominic looked up into the sky, trying to recognise any constellations. Of course he failed, like in every other night when he came on deck. Shrugging, he walked over to the railing and leant over it.

He stared at the water and the vast ocean, his feet twitching. The occasional splash of water luring him in and the temptation to just hurl himself into the water and hope Matthew would find him was almost too strong to resist. He wanted to dance; to feel Matthew‘s skin against his, the scales of the merman‘s tail rubbing against his legs and Matthew‘s lips against his, providing both of them with oxygen.

„Howard,“ a deep voice reached Dominic from behind. The blond turned to see a tall brunet with wild locks.

„Cap‘n,“ Dominic nodded.

The newcomer walked over to lean next to Dominic on the railing. „I‘m quite surprised at how well you managed to fit into the crew,“ the tall man admitted. „I would have thought a prince would find it quite hard to do physical labour as hard as this.“

„Thanks, I guess,“ Dominic murmured.

The Captain laughed. „Take it as a compliment. I haven‘t told anyone else that there‘s more to you than a _curious, rich and spoilt brat_.“

„Thank you, Captain Wolstenholme,“ Dominic answered.

„Is this what you hab been hoping for?“

„To be honest, not quite,“ the blond admitted. „I haven‘t been quite honest with you about my reasons for choosing this life…“

Wolstenholme waited for the sailor to continue, but Dominic remained silent.

„It‘s calm tonight,“ the Captain spoke after a while. „Calm, cloudless nights are always eery.“

„It‘s full moon, too,“ Dominic noted. He squinted down into the water, wondering if he was hallucinating or if he really had seen blue scales and white skin shimmer in the pale light. „I feel like taking a swim…“

Wolstenholme laughed and patted Dominic‘s back. „Why would you want that?“ He walked away from the railing, waving a salute. „You don‘t know what awaits you in there.“

„Or maybe I just know too well who awaits me…“ Dominic murmured, unheard by the leaving Captain.

 

 

The next morning found a tired and gloomy Dominic sitting at the table in the mess room. The chatter of his fellow sailors around him didn‘t quite register to the blond who was deep in thought. He knew he had to find a way to introduce Matthew to the crew without them wanting to cook the merman at some point.

„Good morning, bonnie,“ a playful voice with Scottish accent drawled into his ear and a lanky arm was thrown over his shoulders.

Dominic turned to look at the cook, flirtatious smirk firm in place. The blond sighed. The chef had been hitting on him since the day Dominic had started working on the Black Swan. „Alex…“

„You look grumpy today,“ Alex chirped and sat down on the bench next to Dominic, helping himself to some of the stew.

„Didn‘t sleep well,“ Dominic answered.

„Aww… you know, I could help you out with that,“ Alex whispered, leaning in to grace his lips over Dominic‘s earshell.

„Give up already, Kapranos,“ Dominic growled and shoved the cook away. „I told you that I‘m taken.“

„But your darling lady never has to learn about it,“ Alex purred, shifting nearer to the blond again. „What happens at sea, stays at sea.“

Dominic snorted a laughter and rolled his eyes, wondering if he should tell Alex about his _darling lady_ actually following the ship. He had just opened his mouth to tell the cook that he intended to be true nevertheless, but the conversation on the other side of the table caught his attention.

„I swear, I saw a merman tonight!“ a man a few seats away from Dominic shouted at his shipmates.

The other men laughed. „You see a merman almost every time you‘re in the crow‘s nest, Ben,“ one of them said.

„Because there always _is_ one out there!“ the lookout retorted. „It‘s always the same. Pale skin, black hair and blue tail.“

„We should catch him and see if it‘s true what they say about merpeople,“ Alex sniggered.

„What?“ Dominic asked, trying not to let his slight panic show. Knowing Alex ,what they say about merpeople‘ could only mean two things. And the blond would neither tolerate Matthew being cooked nor would he tolerate Alex seducing the merman.

„They‘re supposed to taste quite nice,“ the brunet answered, grinning widely. The other men, bar the lookout, laughed.

„Dom, you believe me, don‘t you?“ Ben asked.

The blond shrugged. „Well, you never know…“

„Oh, c‘mon! Dom, _even if there were merpeople_ , they wouldn‘t come to the surface and they certainly wouldn‘t follow ships,“ a tall and bulky sailor explained. „Whatever the reason, if one is following a ship, it can‘t be good.“

Dominic gulped. He was sure that the sailor was only being superstitious, but if the majority of the crew thought this way, it would be impossible to introduce Matthew to them. Maybe facing the noblemen back home would have been the easier option.

„But how do you know that merpeople are up to no good if they never surface,“ the blond reasoned. „You can‘t know what this one‘s true intentions are.“

The sailor squinted at Dominic. „You‘re new, you don‘t know yet what can await you at sea, but believe me, Dom, there are many curious things unknown to man and hardly any of them have good intentions towards humans.“ Murmurs of agreement met his statement. „I will remain suspicious of any mythical creature‘s intentions until they are clear and proven.“

„This journey has been cursed anyway,“ another sailor grunted darkly. „What with all the accidents slowing us down.“

The men murmured darkly and rose to make their way to the door, ready for the next shift. Dominic shoved the remaining bread into his mouth and made to rise from his chair as well when he felt Alex‘ arm on his shoulders again, warm breath whispering into his ear. „But _you_ know what the merman‘s intentions are, eh?“

The blond turned his head, meeting green eyes that rested thoughtfully on him. He blushed, once again lost for a good answer.

„Ey, Kapranos, stop hitting on Dom, he just doesn‘t swing that way,“ someone shouted from the door.

Alex laughed lightly and let go off Dominic, but not without whispering into the blond‘s ear a last time. „I‘m not so sure about that. Do you?“

The Scotsman winked at the baffled sailor and walked off into the direction of the caboose. Dominic frowned and swallowed before he followed his shipmates. They would reach the next port in two days, if there weren‘t anymore accidents. They were already about a week late due to a series of breakdowns. On one of those occasions, they had almost lost one of the sailors in the rig when one of the hawsers ripped while he was hoisting the topgallant sail.

 

 

Two uneventful days later, the Black Swan had reached the port and the majority of the crew had swarmed out into the town to find fresh ale, more rum and a woman. In Alex‘ case at least three of the latter, Dominic pondered as he returned to the port, incredibly proud of himself for having found fresh lettuce and tomatoes. He knew he wouldn‘t be able to produce a proper salad, but he hoped Matthew would appreciate the gesture nonetheless.

He walked along the wharf, gazing out at the sea and trying to catch a glimpse of the merman. Dominic directed his eyes to the far end of the port, smiling to find the last pier empty. The couple had agreed to meet up on the last free pier in each haven the Black Swan anchored if they didn‘t manage to find each other before.

Dominic was sure Matthew would be already waiting for him, and most likely he wouldn‘t be pleased with the human‘s delay. He reached the last pier and walked to it‘s end, peeking down. Dominic frowned when he could see neither blue tale nor pale skin shimmering in the water.

Cautiously, the blond climbed down one of the supporting pillars and found a horizontal stanchion to sit on. He placed the linen bag with the tomatoes and lettuce on the stanchion, letting it rest against the vertical braces.

Dominic stared down into the water, frowning. Not turning up for their first date after five weeks wasn‘t something the merman would do. The human raised his head to the sky, worried and wondering what he could do to find Matthew.

 

 

Meanwhile, the merman was in quite an inauspicious predicament. Sitting in a fishnet aboard the Black Swan and tearing at the ropes, he glared at the assembled crew.

„How often do I have to repeat that _I_ am not the one who tried to sink this ship?“ he snapped. The mixture of a lot of rage and a sprinkle of fear had coloured his tail completely black. He pointed at a sailor who was sitting some metres away from the merman, dripping wet. „Why don‘t you question this bastard?“

„I saw you!“ Ben exclaimed before the wet sailor could react. A certain satisfaction tinged Ben‘s words. „You‘ve been following us!“

Matthew turned his head to the excited young man and rolled his eyes. „Well, yes.“

„ And what did you want?“ Captain Wolstenholme asked grimly. „Do you want to sabotage this ship? You almost drowned one of my men.“

Matthew stopped tearing at the net and glared at the tall brunet. „ _No!_ “ he snapped. „He tried to sabotage the ship.“ The merman pointed once again at the wet sailor.

„Lies!“ the accused man shouted. „I saw you trying to make a hole in the hull!“

„And where would I get an axe from, water ape?“ Matthew spat at him.

„Why do you follow us?“ the Captain interrupted the argument.

The merman stared down at his hands that were giving the net another forceful yank, stubborn silence emanating from him.

„He‘s lying!“ the wet sailor frayed. „You‘re not considering believing him, are you? Would you really believe a merman instead of your shipmate?“

The Captain threw him a calculating look, before concentrating on Matthew again.

„How could I have inflicted all that damage during the last few weeks?“ Matthew waved his bare hands and tail. „And how would I have manipulated the hawser, for example? Grow wings and fly up?“

„Who knows?“ one of the sailors countered.

„I‘m a merman, not a bloody shapeshifter!“ Matthew snapped at him, managing to convey in that one sentence just how stupid he deemed this man to be. He turned back to the Captain, reasoning that he had to convince him if he wanted to survive until Dominic returned. Knowing the human, though, he was more likely to organise a boat and row out in search of his lover instead of returning to the ship. “I only did what I had to do to prevent the ship from sinking.“

Wolstenholme snorted, although he had to admit the merman‘s points were valid. He couldn‘t possibly be responsible for all the accidents that had happened on this journey. „What do you care about this ship? Your kind sticks to itself and doesn‘t give a shit about humans and sinking ships. If anything you scavenge the wrecks for food.“

Matthew glared stubbornly at the Captain, refusing to reveal his relationship with Dominic without the blond being present.

„Let‘s cook him,“ Alex proposed.

Matthew‘s head shot in his direction and the cook recoiled from the stare, bumping into a body behind him.

„No one will cook him,“ was snarled viciously into his ear.

„Dominic!“ Matthew exclaimed, relief starting to run through his body.

Alex turned his head, pouting at the blond. „I heard merpeople are delicious.“

„I said: _No one will cook him_. Got it?“ Dominic snarled and roughly pushed through the bodies, drawing his knife.

„Hugh caught him when he tried to sink the ship and was almost drowned,“ the Captain informed him.

„I did _not_ try to sink the ship!“ Matthew hissed.

„But you tried to drown Hugh?“ Dominic asked, kneeling down in front of the merman.

„He tried to axe a hole into the hull. When I yanked him away he attacked me,“ Matthew answered. „What else could I have done?“

„So you believe this bullshit about trying to save the ship?“ Hugh screamed.

Dominic turned his head to glare at the slowly drying sailor. „Of course.“

„And why would a merman try and save a ship from sinking?“ the Captain asked, squinting at the the blond and the men on the deck, a suspicion forming in his mind.

„Because I am on this ship,“ Dominic answered and directed his attention to the net. He cut it apart and freed the merman from the restraints, stroking his hand through the black hair once he was finished. „You okay?“ he asked softly.

Matthew nodded. „About time you appeared. I still don‘t plan on being someone‘s meal, neither yours nor anyone else‘s.“

„Especially, since you‘re not that well fed any longer,“ Dominic smirked and was rewarded with a blow of a moist tail against his leg.

The blond only managed to just catch his balance before, laughing. „Violent fish.“

„Shut up and kiss me,“ Matthew hissed and used Dominic‘s unstable stance to yank the human forward.

Curiously, the crew watched the two kissing men, making mental notes for future mocking. In particular, the peculiar way Matthew‘s tail changed from black to a vibrant pattern of blue and white caught their attention. Lewd sniggering was heard.

Alex coughed and shifted uneasily. „So I was right, he _is_ swinging in this direction.“ He gazed around, gnawing on his lower lip and wondering if he could remove himself from the scenery without drawing attention to himself. However, he was spared the decision when Dominic broke away from the pouting merman.

„You are working together!“ Hugh screamed furiously.

„Oh, shut up, Hugh.“ the Captain grunted. He glowered at the sailor. „When Hayo fell, Howard couldn‘t even bring himself to climb the lower rigging, let alone the topgallants.“

Dominic blushed, relieved at the Captain‘s words nevertheless.

„He faked it,“ Hugh argued, terrified by the fact that he was losing ground.

„I don‘ think ye can fake _that_ ,“ a shipmate snorted, causing the whole crew to laugh. „Little landlubber Dom couldn‘ even climb up one foot before his face went all white and he fed the fish with his last meal.“

The blond blushed even harder, horrified to find Matthew laughing along with the crew. He recoiled from his lover, refusing to support the shaking merman as long as he was shrieking with laughter. Matthew collapsed on the planks, curled up and still unable to stop laughing.

„Sorry, but… but,“ the merman managed to wheeze before he dissolved into another fit of laughter.

Dominic sighed and rubbed his face. He looked up at Captain Wolstenholme. „He‘s innocent. He just tried to protect me.“

The Captain nodded and looked up at Hugh. The sailor gulped, knowing his chances to get out of this where decimated to almost nowt. „Lock him away for the night, we‘ll turn him over to the watch tomorrow. And search his bags for evidence.“

The crew saluted and the men nearest to Hugh rushed forward and grabbed the defeated sailor, dragging him roughly below. Dominic looked down at Matthew. The laughter had mostly subsided, leaving a weakly gasping merman. The human grinned and ran his hand over Matthew‘s arm. The merman opened his eyes and smiled at Dominic, sitting up and leaning against him.

„Howard, in my cabin,“ the Captain disrupted their short intimate moment. „And bring your fish along.“

„Oi!“ Matthew complained, glaring at Wolstenholme.

Dominic grinned at the offended merman and hoisted him up. The blond followed the Captain into his cabin, sitting down on the chair he was directed at. Wolstenholme sat down behind his desk, perusing the merman who was clinging to Dominic.

Matthew reciprocated the Captain‘s look stubbornly, waiting for the brunet to speak first.

„So all this talk about working and learning to become a real king, was bullshit,“ the Captain addressed Dominic and jerked his head towards Matthew. „He‘s the reason why you signed on for my crew?“

Dominic nodded, wondering if he should apologise and beg the Captain to not sack him.

„Fine. I can live with that,“ Wolstenholme growled, causing Dominic to breathe a sigh of relief. The tall man looked at Matthew for another moment, before speaking. „The chef only prepared some fish stew, and I don‘t know if you‘d like that.“

Matthew straightened, tail flapping between Dominic‘s legs. „It‘s been quite a while since I last had fish stew.“

Dominic rolled his eyes while the Captain rose and briefly left the cabin. Matthew had to be quite hungry if he could forget his sulking this fast. That, or he was just immensely bored by the raw fish he had to resort to in the ocean.

The Captain returned and took his seat again. „So, what‘s your name?“ he asked the merman.

„Matthew.“

„And do you have a family name?“

The merman cocked his head and shrugged. „Howard?“

Wolstenholme raised his eyebrows, whereas Dominic coughed. Matthew turned his head to the blond. „Not?“

„Cheeky fish.“

Matthew grinned, but didn‘t manage to retort something, because the Captain was speaking again.

„I guess I have to thank you for what you did today.“

Matthew turned his head towards the brunet and shrugged. „I just don‘t want Dominic to be harmed.“

A knock on the door halted their conversation and Alex entered, a tray with three bowls in his hands. Matthew followed the chef‘s movements suspiciously, but leant forward curiously to gaze at the pasty content of the bowls.

„This looks quite different from the stew at Dominic‘s,“ he announced.

„Excuse me that I have only restricted ingredients to work with,“ Alex retorted annoyed.

Matthew squinted up at him. „Did you use any merpeople?“

„No, you‘re the first merman I‘ve ever met, and since your tail is still quite intact you can conclude that I did not use any merpeople,“ Alex answered sharply. „And don‘t even try to blame your torn back fin on me.“

The merman glowered at Alex, but extended his hand to dip it into the stew. He cautiously licked his fingers clean before dipping them back into the bowl, this time without any hesitation. „This is delicious,“ Matthew looked up at the chef, former grudge forgotten and replaced by adoration.

Alex blinked, surprised by the sudden change of mood, but smiled widely. „Thank you, bonnie.“

Matthew put another finger with fish stew into his mouth, eyes narrowing at the cook again. „No flirting with my man, though.“

Alex snorted. „When did I flirt with your man, huh?“

„Do you want me to recount each time I actually saw you hitting on Dominic?“

„Well, I‘ll have to flirt with _you_ instead,“ Alex answered and leant forward until his nose almost touched Matthew‘s. Within a second, something that felt suspiciously like a huge fishtail collided with the cook‘s most precious parts. He groaned, rubbing his hurting crotch. „Feisty and gorgeous. We‘ll have a lot of fun, bonnie.“

„You better keep your hands off me, smutje.“ Matthew hissed, batting his stew-smeared fingers at the recoiling cook.

Alex wanted to retort something, but remained silent when the Captain cleared his throat.

„I can enlist you as part of the crew,“ Wolstenholme spoke between eating. „You‘ll be granted board and lodging, but you‘ll watch out for us. Watch out for privateers, guard the ship. Everyone on this ship works, so will you.“

Matthew swallowed and saluted sloppily, smearing some of the stew into his hair in the process. „Aye, Cap’n.“

„He can help me,“ Alex chimed in, slightly unsure if he was expected to have left the cabin already. „Are you good at catching fish?“

The merman rolled his eyes. „Did you think I‘ve been living on a seaweed diet and could still grow up to be this gorgeous?“ he asked. Matthew squinted at Dominic‘s fingers in his hair, trying to clean the black strands from the grey stew. He turned his head and caught the blond‘s fingers between his lips.

Coughing uncomfortably, Alex grabbed Matthew‘s and the Captain‘s empty bowls. He left the room unaware of a mischievous pair of blue eyes following him. Wolstenholme sighed and covered his face in his hands, wondering if the latest addition to his crew had been a wise decision.

„You‘re not going to eat your _fish_ stew, are you?“ the merman asked, already pulling the untouched bowl towards him.

„No,“ Dominic answered, rolling his eyes. „Tuck in.“

 

_  
„Seriously, how often have you been wanking thinking of us?“ Matthew asked the old cook, sniggering._

_„Oh, I lost track of the number after about a month,“ Alex answered brightly._

_„What?“ Dominic spluttered, face shining red while Matthew laughed loudly._

_„You did it on purpose…“ Alex growled playfully. He tried to lean forward towards the merman, but stopped and groaned, rubbing his back._

_„What do you mean?“ Matthew asked, batting his eye leashes innocently._

_„Acting like a bloody tease,“ the other man answered, cautiously shuffling his chair nearer to his two friends. „You knew I‘d get horny just from watching you two close to each other, so you had to kiss Dom whenever I was near, and be all over him.“_

_„It was amusing and, to be honest, quite flattering,“ Matthew grinned and turned his head towards his love, trailing his fingers over the human‘s chin and placing gentle kisses on the wrinkly throat._

_Alex fell back against the backrest of his chair, squeezing his eyes shut. „You still averse to a threesome?“ he groaned._

_„Three dirty old men going at it?“ Dominic chuckled, tracing the gill caps on Matthew‘s throat. „Not the best mental picture.“_

_The bald cook snorted. „Don‘t tell me you shelved your sex life.“_

_Blue eyes twinkled coquettishly at Alex whereas Dominic once again blushed. Having a flirtatious best friend and a cheeky lover tended to be embarrassing at times. He cleared his throat and attempted to change the topic._

_„Hugh, he was sent to prison for several years if I remember correctly?“_

_Alex nodded, tearing his eyes away from Matthew‘s hands on Dominic‘s chin. „And Yorke was sent straight after him for trying to sabotage his business rival‘s ship.“_

_„Yeah, that plan backfired violently,“ Matthew chuckled and stretched, yawning. „I‘m tired.“_

_„Should we go inside again?“ Dominic asked, kissing the merman‘s throat._

_„Yes, please,“ Matthew nodded. He leant forward to pat Alex‘ head, grinning mischievously. „Good night, smutje.“_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smutje: looks suspiciously like a Dutch word to me. XD It‘s used in German for a ship‘s cook. Dad always hated when he was called like that, though, be cause it means _dirty one_. I know it‘s not used in English, but I like the word too much. Deal with it. :P


	4. Polar Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Jealousy rears it's Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author’s Notes:** Can we please be over with the introductory phase and start the adventures? Slow progress is slow. XD  
>  And I can‘t shake the feeling that I change Matthew‘s character with each chapter… He definitely changed a lot from the shy merman in the first chapter, but I think I‘ve got him now.
> 
>  **Beta:** Aero, the mighty minty one. (Your comments in the file are made of win.)

_Once again, the old couple sat on the terrace and looked towards the sea. This time, Matthew sat in his wheelchair, a young girl perched on his lap. She peered at the feathers and sea shells that hung from the ring in the merman‘s earlobe. He was wearing one of her favourite gems; a long, white contour feather. Its end was deep blue and a few blue sprinkles were scattered over it. She suspected that it was Dominic‘s favourite feather too, the blue mirroring the brilliant colour of Matthew‘s eyes and tail._

_She smiled and leant against the chest of the merman, directing her gaze to the grey-haired man in the chair next to them, her hand absentmindedly running over the old scar on Matthew‘s chest._

_„You‘re not here to just marvel at Matthew‘s feather and cuddle with my man, are you Adri?“ Dominic asked the fourteen year-old._

_„But he‘s so comfy,“ Adrienne answered, grinning cheekily. Matthew giggled and ruffled his hand through her shoulder-length blonde hair. The girl purred happily and stretched to peck his chest._

_„Oi!“ Dominic shouted in mock indignation. „No snogging with_ my _fish. Get your own.“ He shuffled his chair closer to them, reaching out as if to tear the blonde girl away from Matthew. The merman laughed, slung his arms around Adri and turned away from the advancing man, to protect her._

_„No, you will not take my lovely grandniece away from me!“ he cried dramatically._

_„Oh, you cheeky fish,“ Dominic growled, rising from his chair to tower over the two people in the wheelchair. He stepped forward and simply flopped down on them, causing Adri to be squeezed between her two granduncles and the wheelchair to roll back a few metres. He craned his neck to kiss the giggling merman and then kissed the cheek of his grandniece._

_She smiled and shifted between them until they found a way to fit relatively comfortably in the rolling wheelchair together._

_„Cameron is angry with me,“ Adri stated hesitantly. She gazed out into the sea, forehead in crinkles. „I think it‘s because Lewis kissed my cheek and I giggled. He said I shouldn‘t have allowed him to kiss me.“_

_„Cameron seems to be jealous,“ Dominic mused. He knew the counsellor‘s son had a soft spot for Adri, and seeing the person he liked getting along almost_ too _well with a potential rival was something that felt familiar to the old prince._

_„But Alex always ruffles Uncle Matt‘s hair and he‘s so… you know, as if he‘s flirting with Uncle Matt,“ the girl objected. To her, it was perfectly normal to show someone her fondness, as she saw the open display of friendship and loyalty between the three men on a daily basis. She couldn‘t quite understand why accepting Lewis‘ affection would upset the other boy._

_„Well, that‘s… different…“ Dominic sighed and glanced at the merman. Matthew smiled at him and leant forward to kiss the human‘s nose. „I_ know _he won‘t betray me and that I‘m the only one in his life. Cameron is not sure about that with you.“ Dominic frowned. Did he really want to talk about finding the one person in your life, to a fourteen year-old girl? He shrugged. It was never too early for the basics of love and relationships, was it?_

_„It wasn‘t always easy to see them being this close with each other.“  
_

 

The _Black Swan_ was sailing way too far into the northern hemisphere, Dominic had decided several days ago. It was freezing cold and the sailors could barely move within the rigging due to the many layers of clothing they had to wear. Furthermore, Matthew had stubbornly refused to stay on the ship. He had provided a lot of the ship‘s complement of fish during the previous months and had dismissed Dominic‘s concern about the cold temperature of the water.

Until a rather brawny and hairy merman had surfaced two days ago with a pale-blue tinted merman in his arms.

Dominic had panicked and would have cooked the shaking merman, if it hadn‘t been for Alex. The chef had stopped the blond sailor from pouring boiling hot water over Matthew, ordering his friend to pour cold water into the merman‘s bathtub first. After that incident, Matthew‘s moans and demands fell on deaf ears and he finally gave up trying to be released from the bathtub.

Dominic was relieved that the crew had accepted the merman so quickly. They had been suspicious at first, and some had refused to eat the fish he had caught, but before long, they had accepted Matthew as part of the crew. It had only taken one more month to stop the merman from sulking whenever they referred to him as ,fish‘, and the term had then become an endearment.

 

 

Matthew had been moved to a bathtub in the caboose when Dominic had to work. No-one wanted to be exposed to the mood of a merman who was not only restricted to sitting in a bathtub, but who had also been left alone in the cabin. But they would have to face him when they wanted to sleep.

Thus, Matthew lay in the caboose, idly swaying his tail fins, which were the only body parts currently not submerged, while Alex was busy preparing the next meal for the crew. The cook stopped after he had chopped a sack of potatoes and dipped a hand into the water of the bathtub. Blue eyes met his and Matthew‘s head and upper body emerged.

Alex grinned and splashed some water towards Matthew. „Is the temperature still pleasant or do you want me to boil some water for you?“

„It‘s still good,“ the merman answered. „But if you have the time to heat up some water, I‘d appreciate it.“

„Anything for my favourite fish,“ Alex answered and turned towards the hearth, hanging a big kettle of water over the fire.

„As long as you don‘t plan to cook me,“ Matthew growled.

The brunet turned back, smiling broadly at the merman. This particular detail in their banter occurred almost every day, but by now it was merely playful. It had taken a while for the merman to not see Alex as a threat and to stop trying to barge into every interaction between Dominic and the chef. In addition, the merman had also started to reciprocate Alex‘ playful advances. So they now spent the days in the caboose teasing each other.

„Awww, but you look so tasty, bonnie,“ Alex drawled, as he placed his hands on the bathtub and leant forward.

Matthew rested his elbows on the rim of the tub and rose an eyebrow, smirking. „Look all you want, but you won‘t get a taste of me.“

Alex laughed. „Who would have thought that you‘d turn into such a tease?“

Matthew swallowed and cast his eyes down. „Do you think I should stop? Would it be better if I didn‘t get along with you that well?“

Alex sighed and pulled a chair towards him to sit down. „Matt, we all know that you‘re faithful to Dom. He knows, too. And if you‘re unsure about how your behaviour affects Dom, _I_ am not the right person to ask.“

„I know,“ Matthew sighed and reclined, sinking further down into the water until only his head and shoulders remained above. „I‘m just kind of scared. And it‘s not fair towards you either.“

The chef smiled and extended a hand to pick on Matthew‘s hair. „Don‘t be worried about me, bonnie. You and Dom are good friends and I care for you, but there are no romantic feelings involved. I‘m just a naughty cook who loves to flirt with everything pretty. And you two are just gorgeous together.“ He leant forward, whispering into the merman‘s ear, „Nights on my own are definitely more enticing now that I can think of you two.“

Matthew turned his head and grinned playfully at his friend, tail fin swaying seductively. „You like us that much?“

„Indeed,“ Alex answered. „I like you so much, I‘d be satisfied with just watching you. And mind you, I usually insist on joining.“ He grinned, satisfied at the hitch in the merman‘s breath and the pale white patterns that appeared on his tail.

„What…?“ Dominic ground out, one hand still on the door handle. He stared at the two men, Alex‘ hand still in Matthew‘s hair. The two men turned their heads towards the blond, not parting straight away, nor showing any sign of guilt.

„Dominic!“ Matthew exclaimed happily, extending his arms towards the human.

„What are you doing?“ the blond asked, still standing frozen in the doorway.

„Talking,“ Alex answered. He removed his fingers from Matthew‘s hair and slowly rose from the chair, Matthew‘s arms falling into the water with a splash.

Dominic lifted an eyebrow and cocked his head. „And what‘s with the mating pattern?“

Matthew stared at Dominic and then at his tail. He uneasily let it slide underwater and Dominic heard water splashing from what he figured were Matthew‘s hands nervously fidgeting. „Well…“

„Yes?“

Matthew flinched at the icy tone of Dominic‘s voice and submerged.

„I asked if I could watch you some time,“ Alex stated. He had walked over to the door and stood next to the blond, gently pushing Dominic‘s hand from the handle.

„What?“ Dominic exclaimed, staring at the brunet.

The cook grinned widely. „Well, your lover seems to like the idea.“ He leant forward, his lips brushing against Dominic‘s ear. „I‘ll leave you alone for a while and don‘t you dare even _think_ about having a hissy fit that stretches over days or even weeks.“

With that, Alex left the caboose, shutting the door behind him, Dominic hearing the key turn in the lock. He briefly considered turning and shouting for the chef to stop the nonsense, but he knew that Alex would just laugh and walk away. Sighing, Dominic turned back to the bathtub and walked over to sit on the chair, waiting for the merman to surface again.

Matthew eventually did, slowly pushing himself up and turning to look at Dominic. He tried a smile that fell away as it was met with stubborn and sullen silence, the blond‘s face not showing any inclination to reciprocate. Matthew pressed his lips together and waited for Dominic‘s next move.

„So, you enjoy flirting with Alex,“ Dominic stated, voice carefully emotionless.

„It‘s fun,“ Matthew answered defiantly, „I enjoy the attention.“

„Narcissist,“ Dominic hissed, knowing that his next sentence wouldn‘t go down well, but not caring. He felt betrayed, and he wanted to cause the merman a pang of pain in return. Even though Dominic knew he‘d regret it as soon as he saw Matthew‘s reaction. „And there was me thinking merpeople were monogamous.“

Matthew glared at the human for a short moment and abruptly dived down. Dominic had anticipated exactly that reaction, though, and grabbed Matthew‘s upper arms before the merman could submerge. Matthew bit his lips, stopping the pained hiss just before it could escape.

„Stop being a spoiled, cowardly child and face the consequences of your actions,“ Dominic spat into his lover‘s face.

„That was a low blow, what you just said,“ Matthew snapped and tried to wriggle free from Dominic‘s hold. The blond tightened his hands in warning, but Matthew‘s struggling didn‘t cease. The wet tail fin collided with the human‘s shoulder and almost caused him to fall into the water.

„Oh, and you philandering with Alex behind my back isn‘t low at all?“ Dominic snarled and shoved Matthew harshly against the wooden wall of the bathtub. The merman stopped struggling and stared at the human, his tense body relaxing.

„Dominic,“ he muttered weakly.

The blond blinked and shook his head, letting go of Matthew‘s upper arms. He felt queasy, now that his anger had started to cool, the anticipated guilt reaching out it‘s cold claws. „Matthew?“

The merman‘s hands shot upwards, clinging onto the human‘s shirt and yanking him down, causing Dominic to stumble headfirst into the bathtub. But before Dominic‘s head touched the water, Matthew‘s grip had moved; a pair of wet hands now tangled in blond hair and pulled Dominic‘s head towards his.

„I love you,“ the merman snarled, and pressed his lips against Dominic‘s. „I don‘t want someone else,“ he gasped between kisses, hands still holding tight to Dominic‘s head and not giving the human the chance of escape. „I don‘t want to fight with you. I want to love you. I want you to love me. I want _you_ to touch me.“

Dominic brought his own hands up, grabbing Matthew‘s hair and yanking the merman‘s head back, not yet prepared to fully let go of his anger. „Then why do you let Alex touch you?“

„That‘s just my hair,“ Matthew grunted dismissively. „He won‘t touch anything else. Do you think I‘d let him anywhere near _this_?“

Dominic gulped, the angry façade even harder to maintain when he felt a scaled tail arch underneath him and slide between his legs.

He yanked Matthew‘s head back towards him and growled into his ear, „So, I will always be the only one to touch you here?“ One of his hands left the black hair and came to rest on the transition of skin and scales.

„Yes,“ Matthew aspirated, closing his eyes and licking his lips.

„And what about here?“ Dominic inquired, his hand sliding slowly lower and rubbing circles on the underside of the merman’s tail.

„Yes…“ Matthew breathed, one of his hands disappearing from Dominic‘s hair and settling between Dominic‘s legs. „And you‘ll always be the only one I‘ll touch in such a manner.“ He nibbled on Dominic‘s earlobe and slid his hand into the blond‘s trousers.

Dominic bucked into Matthew‘s hand and groaned. „Help me get out of these clothes,“ he ground out.

 

 

Dominic leant against the wall of the bathtub, pacified and spent. He let the fingers of his left hand trace the white lines on Matthew‘s tail. The merman leant against Dominic, head resting on the blond‘s shoulder and his right hand entwined in Dominic‘s.

„I am sorry that I have hurt you,“ Matthew murmured and nuzzled against the blond‘s neck. „I love you.“

„I know.“ Dominic turned his head and placed a kiss on Matthew‘s forehead. „Maybe I should reciprocate Alex‘ advances, too,“ he added, wondering how the merman would react.

Matthew was silent for a moment and eventually nodded. „Would only be fair.“

„And you aren‘t even a bit jealous about him flirting with me?“ Dominic asked, shifting to gain better view on Matthew‘s face.

„No, why?“ the merman retorted. „That‘d be hypocritical. I trust you and he also knows not to push boundaries.“ He turned around to look into Dominic‘s face, hands falling away from each other in the process. „But I don‘t want you to kiss him,“ he added.

„And you think it‘s perfectly okay for you to flirt with him?“ the human inquired further.

Matthew shrugged. „It‘s nothing but friendly teasing. Do you want me to stop?“

Dominic paused. The merman stared expectantly at him and the human knew that he‘d change his behaviour if Dominic really felt hurt by it. The _,Yes‘_ was lying on his tongue, ready to be articulated, but obviously Matthew didn‘t see anything wrong in his actions, and he was still faithful, wasn‘t he? Should Dominic forbid his love something that was nothing but friendly banter, or could he himself learn to live with that? Shouldn‘t their relationship be built on trusting each other and not on forbidding each other behavioural patterns?

„You‘ll always be the only one to rub my tail,“ Matthew grinned cheekily, wiggling said tail, smooth scales sliding over Dominic‘s bare legs.

„Why did you want him to watch us?“ the human asked, instead of answering Matthew‘s previous question.

„I don‘t know,“ the merman admitted, „But the thought arouses me.“

„Would you want him to see us dance?“

Matthew shook his head. „That‘s something very intimate.“

„Sexual intercourse is intimate for humans, too,“ Dominic explained. „Well, for most of them.“

„I understand.“ Matthew nodded. He turned around, the blue tail fin suddenly filling Dominic‘s vision.

„And I don‘t want to share you,“ Dominic added and craned his neck to see what the merman was up to now.

„You wouldn‘t have to if he only watched,“ Matthew retorted, grinning. Dominic started when he felt fingers sliding over the underside of his feet. With a last smirk shot in the human‘s direction, the merman submerged and Dominic felt cold lips close around his toes, teeth scraping over the skin and a curious tongue pushing between the toes.

„Matthew, do you have a foot fetish?“ the human giggled, once the merman had surfaced again.

Matthew winked lasciviously, and made his way back up to Dominic. He buried his hands in the blond hair and pressed his lips against the human‘s.

„You‘ve got the prettiest toes,“ he announced earnestly, once they parted again.

Dominic laughed and ran his hands through Matthew‘s hair, the black strands standing up at every angle possible. He felt Matthew‘s fingers play gently with the seashell and feathers on his earring. He smiled and extended his hand to trace its counterpart on Matthew‘s earlobe. The rings had been a dare from the crew that the merman had only been too happy to follow. And consequently, Dominic had also been obliged to follow and get his ear soaked in alcohol and pierced, the whole crew hooting in laughs at his pained scream. He had glowered at the chuckling merman and refused to kiss him for days, until Matthew had started to collect seashells and offer them to Dominic as an appeasement. Nowadays, he would often return from his hunts with pretty shells or sea snail houses that they would share and pierce holes in.

The blond had to admit that once the pain had subsided, he was thankful the merman had insisted on getting the earrings. They looked good on them. Although, he doubted his father would be delighted to see his son‘s ear adorned with flotsam.

They heard the metallic sound of a key being turned and the door opened to let Alex into the caboose. The chef stopped in the door frame, a broad smirk spreading on his face at the scene in front of him. He closed the door behind him and whistled in appreciation.

Dominic blushed and tried to sink deeper into the water, but Matthew stopped him. Grinning mischievously, the merman pressed himself against the human, tightening his hands in Dominic‘s hair and pressing his lips against the human’s.

The blond rolled his eyes, but decided to let Matthew have his way. He let his hands flutter teasingly over the merman‘s sides. Matthew squirmed and tried to escape the tickling fingers, but failed as he was being attacked on both sides. He broke the kiss and tried to pout at Dominic, whilst trying to catch his breath between uncontrollable giggles. He finally caught the blond‘s wrists and yanked them away from his skin.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dominic noticed Alex advancing and decided to humour the chef for now. Anticipating the brunet‘s next action, he wiggled his hands free from Matthew‘s weak grip and ran them over the thin fins on the merman‘s arms. He felt Matthew slowly calming, the hysterical giggling slowly dying away just as Alex dug one finger into Matthew‘s ribs.

The merman sharply turned his head, the feathers and shells on his earring hitting Dominic against the cheek. He glared at the chef, trying to turn and bat him away, but Dominic tightened his grip around Matthew‘s arms and forced the merman to stay in his current position and take the poking of long fingers.

Initially, the blond had only intended for Matthew to be bothered some more, but now Dominic realised that there was another reason why he really should keep the merman in the position he was in. The human shifted and slung his legs around Matthew‘s tail to prevent him from revealing parts the human _did not_ want to be revealed.

„Smutje!“ Matthew screamed and twisted in Dominic‘s grip, eventually succeeding in biting the cook.

Alex yanked his hand away and fell onto the chair that stood next to the bathtub and laughed. „You‘re the most ticklish fish I‘ve ever met.“

„Dig your fingers into my ribs again and I will bite them off!“ Matthew growled, gasping for breath again.

Alex just laughed and leant forward, unashamedly trying to peek into the water. Dominic shifted, hoping Matthew would be covering his man bits. The cook raised his head and winked at the blond.

„I‘m sure there‘s nothing I haven‘t seen already.“

„Then why do you need to look?“ Dominic snapped.

The chef winked again and rose from the chair to take the kettle from the fireplace. „Now that a lover‘s tiff has been averted, I‘d like to go on preparing the crew‘s meal.“

„Well, could you leave the caboose so I can get dressed?“

„No, why? As I said, nothing I haven‘t seen in one form or another and I certainly don‘t mind if you sit in the bathtub all day.“

Dominic rolled his eyes and swapped his and Matthew‘s position. He gazed down at the smirking merman, contemplating the shift in dynamics between the three men present in the caboose. He dipped his head and bit down on Matthew‘s earlobe, whispering, „I don‘t want you two to kiss either, is that understood?“

Matthew smiled and nodded.

Dominic sighed. He pushed himself up and stepped out of the bathtub. Gratefully, he noticed that his trousers where lying on the side of the bathtub out of the cook’s line of sight. He knelt down to pick them up and groaned.

„You can hang them up next to the hearth,“ Alex‘ voice offered helpfully, and Dominic could have sworn he had heard a distinctly satisfied quality, too.

Dominic turned his head to squint at him over the bathtub. Alex smiled back, his face a careful mask of innocence.

„Your shirt is soaked, too,“ he added. „I already hung it up to dry, so feel free to hang your trousers up next to the shirt.“

Dominic‘s eyes followed the outstretched arm. His shirt was hanging next to the hearth, the coals scattered underneath sizzling when a drop of water hit them. The blond sighed again, and picked up his trousers, holding them protectively in front of his groin and walked over to the hearth. He felt both Matthew‘s and Alex‘, eyes lingering on his skin. He stopped in front of the hearth and shuffled nearer until he felt the heat permeating the wet trousers.

Silence spread between them for a few minutes and the skin on Dominic‘s back started to itch.

„You know you don‘t have to stand there the whole time,“ Alex chuckled. „You can hang it up next to your shirt and sit down.“

„No, thanks, I‘m fine,“ Dominic answered and blushed. He could hear Matthew giggling softly.

„It will be some time until your clothes are dry,“ Alex continued.

The blond turned his head and glared at the grinning chef.

„I only mean well.“

Dominic grunted and turned back, reluctantly stretching to throw his trousers next to his shirt over the bar. He hurriedly jumped back again once he was done and the heat from the fire became almost unbearable. He turned around, suppressing the urge to lift his hands to cover his private parts. He knew that this would only give way to more teasing from the chef, but upon seeing Alex downcast eyes, he wondered if that wouldn‘t have been the better option.

„You will _not_ wank over this,“ Dominic growled at the openly leering cook and walked back to the chair next to Matthew‘s bathtub.

Alex pouted and opened his mouth, but Matthew spoke before he could.

„I have to agree with Dominic there.“

„What?“ Alex whined. „But you…“

„You can think of _both_ of us, but you will not think of Dominic alone,“ the merman growled.

„Whatever you say, bonnie,“ the cook answered, grinning far too lewdly for Dominic‘s liking.

„ _What?_ “ he exclaimed horrified. „No, you can‘t!“

„Take it as a compliment,“ Alex retorted cheerfully and turned to the hearth.

„I need fresh water, by the way,“ Matthew announced, staring interestedly at something white on his hand.

Dominic blushed violently, glad that Alex had his back turned to them at that precise moment.

He sat on the chair, legs crossed, and watched Alex prepare the meal, listening to the chatter of chef and merman. It certainly would take time until he got used to the openness between his lover and his best friend.

 

_  
„So you had problems accepting their behaviour, too?“ Adri asked her granduncle. She somehow had assumed that the three friends had always been like this. Matthew and Alex constantly teasing each other, and sometimes even teaming up against Dominic, but always in an amicable atmosphere._

_„Yes,“ Dominic nodded „I think it‘s a normal reaction.“_

_„Cameron is unsure,“ Matthew said. „Dominic knew I always would be faithful, but Cameron doesn't even know if you feel the same for him.“_

_„The same for him?“ Adri asked wide-eyed. „Do you think he‘s, you know, fallen for me?“_

_Matthew smiled at the blonde girl. „You‘re definitely his first love.“_

_„Oh,“ was the only answer that the usually eloquent girl could utter._

_„Do you reciprocate his feelings?“ Dominic asked._

_Adri shrugged. „I don‘t know.“ She looked from one man to the other as if asking them for an answer._

_Dominic smiled and stroked her hair. „That‘s okay. Feelings can be tricky things.“_

_The girl nodded and snuggled against Matthew‘s chest._

_„Just a piece of advice,“ Dominic added, „Don‘t ask Alex for advice. He‘ll tell you to go for both boys.“_

_Adri giggled lightly. She glanced at the feather hanging down from Matthew‘s ear again. Life really became more and more complicated the more you grew up._

_The group didn‘t speak again until Adri‘s mother came onto the terrace to fetch her daughter. The woman stood in the doorway, smiling at the group that was apparently content with just watching the sea, huddled together in one wheelchair._

_„Have you been pestering your uncles for stories again?“ the wife of Dominic‘s nephew made herself heard. The three of them turned their heads._

_„I don‘t pester them,“ Adri pouted. „They like my presence. I‘m the ray of sunshine in their day.“_

_Dominic laughed as Adri‘s mother rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a smile herself._

_„And I think you‘re taking after your uncle Matthew a bit too much,“ she said. „Bedtime for you now.“_

_Adri pouted and clung to Matthew, while Dominic climbed off the wheelchair._

_„Come on, Adrienne, your ancient uncles need rest, too.“_

_„OI!“ Matthew complained and glared at the grinning princess._

_Adri pressed a kiss to his cheek and ruffled his withering hair before jumping off the chair and granting her other granduncle the same treatment. She waved a „Goodnight“ at them and cheerfully bounced into the castle. Her mother smiled at the two men._

_„It‘s getting chilly, you two should come inside, too.“ She walked over to the wheelchair and pushed it inside without even awaiting an answer. Dominic followed chuckling, knowing that Matthew would be sulking at the treatment. His niece had been right, though. It was definitely getting chilly._

_He glanced back at the sea a last time for this day and smiled._


	5. Old Pirates, yes, they rob I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Fish is caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoohooo. This has a scene that I couldn‘t wait to write since I decided to put the plot onto a ship. And I want to see it drawn!
> 
> Chapter name taken from Redemption Song. I forget who the original is by, I know it by Joe Strummer when RHCP used it for the end credits for the Live at Slane Castle DVD.
> 
>  **Beta:** Aero, The Might Minty Mine. :)

_Adri poked her head out to the terrace. She would usually be sitting with her uncles, listening to their stories and watching the sea, but today there was another person sitting on the terrace with them._

_Adri hadn‘t seen the strange woman before. Short, and unruly brunette hair, an inappropriately short skirt and view of her décolleté, eyebrows skilfully painted swirls. The woman turned her head and noticed the girl in the doorway. A smile pulled her red lips apart and she rose from her chair to crouch in front of Adri._

_„And who are you, gorgeous lady?“_

_Adri blushed, feeling oddly shy. „Adrienne.“_

_„Nice to meet you, I‘m Amanda.“ Amanda straightened and curtsied._

_Adri giggled and ran toward her uncles, first pressing a kiss against Dominic‘s cheek, before crawling onto Matthew‘s lap. She shifted until she leant comfortably against Matthew‘s chest and glanced at Amanda._

_„Who are you?“_

_„A traveller,“ Amanda answered and sat down on her chair again._

_„Did you travel together?“_

_„Yes, several times,“ Amanda answered._

_„Did you have a lot of problems with pirates?“ Adri asked excitedly. She had waited for her uncles to tell her pirate stories for quite some time now, but they never came._

_Amanda laughed lightly. „Only on our first shared journey.“ She smiled at Matthew, who snorted and rolled his eyes._

_Adri turned her head to look at him. „What happened? Tell me, please.“_

_„Oh, that‘s a nice story,“ Dominic chuckled, ignoring the foreboding look on the sulking merman. „You’ll like it!“  
_

 

Dom stood in the crow‘s nest, the early morning wind tousling his hair, and glanced down at the deck. One of their passengers was strolling over to the railing, short, brunette hair and vast skirts waving in the wind. She turned and Dom was offered with a nice view of her bosom, pushed up into perfect shape by the corset. He could make out her red lips curling into a knowing smirk, green eyes staring up at him.

Dominic swallowed and directed his attention back to the ocean, just in time to see blue tail fins disappear. He sighed and made a mental note to see Alex as soon as possible to ask him for support and something to bribe sulking mermen with.

The Black Swan had left the Arctic Circle a few months ago and after calling at a harbour in Norway, had set sail for Cape of Good Hope. They also had picked up two passengers; a rich merchant who didn‘t trust anyone with his precious goods and a mysterious woman.

Said woman was smiling whimsically at Dom whenever she saw the young sailor, often adding a coquettish chuckle at Matthew‘s reaction. Dom wondered what Miss Palmer was aiming for. At first he had thought she was just flirting or toying with him, but she never made any actual advances apart from smiling and greeting politely.

She did, however, seem to delight in riling up the merman. Dom sighed and glanced back to the deck, seeing Miss Palmer talk to Captain Wolstenholme. He thought about his partner again. Matthew would most likely be in his worst mood when he returned this afternoon. Not that the fish was in an endurable mood these days anyway.

 

 

Relay climbed up the rigs when the sun had already left his zenith. They chatted for a few minutes before Dom started his descent.

„Get some lunch,“ Sam called after him.

Dom paused on his way down the rigs and looked up at the other sailor. „What‘s on the table today?“

„You‘ll love it,“ Sam laughed. „Alex prepared fish stew.“

Dom scrunched up his face and concentrated on climbing. Once he had wood underneath his feet again, he made his way to the cabins to get changed. His shipmates never ceased to make fun of Dom‘s habit of changing his clothes between shifts, but he just couldn‘t get used to wearing the same, dirty and stinking clothes all day.

Once he was feeling acceptably clean again, he made his way to the mess. The first wave of hungry sailors had already finished their meals and had left to replace their working shipmates. Of course, all of them were already in the mess and halfway through their meals by the time Dom arrived.

He passed the table with their passengers, ignoring Miss Palmer‘s smile, and strode towards the caboose, expecting to find Matthew in the bathtub. What he found, though, was the brunet chef who was throwing some salt into the fish stew, and an empty bathtub.

Alex turned his head upon hearing Dom enter. He smiled. „Hey bonnie, where‘s your fish?“

„I don‘t know,“ Dom answered. „I thought he would have returned by now.“

„Maybe he‘s just, you know, sulking and late on purpose.“

„He‘d _never_ miss lunch.“

„True,“ Alex admitted. He stirred the stew and threw a few dried herbs into the grey mash. „He brought the fish a few hours ago and disappeared again. Seemed rather pissed off.“

„Yeah, Miss Palmer was on deck this morning and he caught me looking at her,“ Dom explained. „I turned my attention back to the sea just in time to see Matthew diving.“

„He‘s jealous,“ Alex stated matter-of-factly.

„No, really?“ Dom snapped back. „Didn‘t notice.“ He sighed and fell into the nearest chair. „I just wonder what she could possibly want from me.“

„Why don‘t you ask her?“ Alex asked. He walked over to Dom and pushed the long strands of blond hair out of his face. „I don‘t think her interest in you is sexual or even romantic.“

Dom recoiled slighty from the touch. He wasn‘t as used to Alex‘ advances as Matthew yet. „How do you know?“

Alex winked. „Trust me, I‘m a specialist.“

Dom rolled his eyes. „Of course, how could I forget? Anyway, I‘m still worried about Matthew…“

„Wait for a while, if he‘s really sulking, he will return soon.“

„And what if that‘s not the case? What if something’s happened? We could never find him in the ocean. He could be…“

„Dom,“ Alex grabbed Dom‘s head and forced the other man to look at him. „He‘s okay. Don‘t start to panic now. That stubborn fish has survived quite some time on his own in this ocean; he knows his way around. He‘s okay.“

Dom swallowed and nodded. „He‘s okay.“

„Now go and get some food,“ Alex grinned and ruffled Dom‘s hair.

„Can‘t you give me something that‘s not fish?“ Dom groaned and batted the chef‘s hand away.

„Nope, no special requests in my caboose, bonnie.“

„Sadist,“ Dom snarled and left the caboose.

Three hours later, Matthew still hadn‘t returned to the Black Swan and Dominic couldn‘t concentrate on his work. After almost falling from the fore lower rigging, he decided it was enough. No matter how angry Matthew was, he would never stay away this long.

 

 

Captain Wolstenholme and the passengers sat in his cabin and stared at sea charts, discussing when they would next dock, when the door burst open and Dom stormed in, closely followed by Alex.

„What‘s wrong?“ Wolstenholme asked. „Something up with the fish?“

„He‘s not back yet,“ Dom answered.

„But it‘s not even dark yet,“ the Captain answered.

„He never missed lunch, though, not by three hours,“ Dom insisted. „Please, Capt‘n, I know something‘s wrong.“

„Don‘t you think you‘re exaggerating?“

Alex shook his head. „No, I told Matt that I‘d cook fish stew today.“

„Well, he‘d never miss _that_ ,“ the Captain admitted.

„What can we do?“ Dom asked, feeling hysterical again. Just thinking of the vastness of the ocean, around and underneath them, made him feel faint. He‘d never be able to find the merman if something had happened to him. „How would I ever find him again?!“

„Howard, we‘ll find him,“ the Captain assured. He walked around his table and put his hands on Dom‘s shoulders. „We don‘t leave crew behind.“

Dom nodded weakly. „I just don‘t know how…“

„Wait a moment,“ the voice of their male passenger, Pieter Boudewijn, interrupted them. „I need to arrive in Rooi Els in three months. We don‘t have time to search for some _merman_ that we might never see again.“

„I don‘t care,“ Wolstenholme answered. „We don‘t leave crew behind.“

„He‘s a _fish_!“

Dom growled lowly and darted forward, ready to hit the merchant, but a female hand curled around his wrist and halted the movement.

„I can find him, if you trust me,“ the other passenger said.

Dom turned to look at the woman with the surprisingly strong grip. „How?“

She smiled. „I have ways. Trust me.“

Dom nodded hesitantly.

„I need something from him, though.“

„What?“ Dom frowned at Miss Palmer.

„Well, I guess the best we have is his bathtub,“ Alex offered.

Miss Palmer turned her head to him and nodded. „That should be good, yes.“

„Which one? Cabin or caboose?“

„Caboose. I don‘t think your shipmates would appreciate a woman snooping around in their cabins and doing strange rituals.“

Dom nodded again and turned to the door, followed by Alex and Miss Palmer.

„Hey, Dom,“ the Captain called after them. „Matt‘s a tough fish. He‘s okay.“

 

 

Actually, Matthew was not okay. Not really. According to him, he couldn‘t be further from _okay_. Sitting in a bloody fishing net on the deck of a pirate ship and being leered at by pirates was definitely _not_ part of the definition of _being okay_. It was, however, included in the definitions of _degrading_ and _embarrassing_. And maybe, if he was just a bit honest, _terrifying_ , but Matt wouldn‘t admit that even to himself.

„So you‘re the Black Swan‘s famous mermaid,“ the scrawny Captain addressed the seething merman.

„Welcome aboard the Stella Maris,“ said the equally scrawny First Mate. Both Captain and First Mate sported almost the same atrocious hairdo; black hair sticking out at random angles.

„Fuck. You.“ Matthew snapped and tore at the ropes of the net restricting him. „Ever heard of an invention called a _comb_? You should give it a go.“

„My, what a sassy fish we caught today,“ the Captain answered cheerfully. „But where are my manners? I‘m Captain Nick Cave and this is my First Mate Blixa.“

They looked down at him, as if expecting some kind of answer. „I‘m not a fish,“ Matthew finally snarled.

Captain Cave sighed and shook his head, murmuring something about manners.

„We‘ll see once we‘ve cooked you,“ Blixa retorted.

„I taste disgusting.“

Cave laughed. „I always like to make up my own mind and hardly ever trust other‘s words.“

„But wouldn‘t it be cannibalism?“ someone from the crew asked.

„Not if we only eat the tail,“ Cave answered. He stepped forward and knelt down in front of Matt, grinning sardonically. „But first, we have other plans for you.“

The fishing net couldn‘t save Captain Cave‘s shoulder from the collision with a black, wet tail. He tumbled sideways and tried to turn towards Matthew, who had pushed himself forward. Long, pale arms reached through the holes of the net and grabbed the Captain‘s throat.

Matthew knew he couldn‘t possibly overpower the Captain but he still had to make a point. And since Cave had hinted that they needed him for something else, Matt figured they wouldn‘t kill him just yet. He tightened his grip just as the Captain lifted his hands, not to prise away Matt‘s fingers, but to cover his ears. Matt frowned, confused.

Strong hands grabbed his shoulders and an unearthly, piercing scream drilled into his ears and wormed its way into his head and through his whole body. Matthew screamed and let go of Cave‘s neck to cover his own ears, almost fainting. He was yanked backwards and the noise stopped, leaving the dazed merman to weakly stare up into a smug grin.

You‘re…“ Matthew started weakly and tried to push himself onto his elbows. „You‘re a…“ He fell back onto the planks and pressed a palm against his forehead.

„That‘s right. My mother was a siren,“ Blixa affirmed. „And now I think we‘re going to keep you somewhere where you can‘t hit anyone.“

„And I already know the _perfect_ place for you,“ Cave added, grinning sardonically again.

 

 

„Tell me again, why do we have to go and find _pirates_ just because this fish has gone missing?“ Boudewijn demanded.

„And how often do I have to tell you that _you‘re_ not allowed to call him a fish?“ Dominic snapped at the merchant. He was pacing the deck impatiently. He had tried to help his shipmates with setting the course and hoisting the sails, but they had banned him from anything destructible, and Dom had reached the bow of the Black Swan once again where Miss Palmer and Mr Boudewijn were standing.

„We‘re risking our lives and goods just for a moody chap with a fishtail and a camp earring!“ Boudewijn retorted angrily, „If I, or any of my goods get damaged, I will have you thrown into a dungeon where you can rot away.“

Without another thought, Dom darted forward and pushed Boudewijn against the railing. The merchant squealed and clutched tightly to the wooden rail. „You have no idea who you‘re talking to,“ Dom snarled. „I‘d like to see you try throwing _me_ in any dungeon in this world.“

Dom let go of Boudewijn and started pacing again. He was aware of steps behind him and sure enough, a hand grabbed his upper arm shortly after. Dom turned and glared at Boudewijn.

„I am not willing to risk _anything_ for that fish,“ Boudewijn snarled. „I don‘t understand why everyone on this ship thinks it‘s okay to run into a fight with heavily armed pirates!“

„Because he‘s _our_ fish,“ a passing sailor answered.

„He‘s _my_ fish!“ Dom called after him.

The sailor paused and grinned. „Do you want to rescue him alone?“

„No…“

„Rest assured, no-one else here wants to be his _mating partner_.“

„I wouldn‘t say _no-one else_ ,“ Alex drawled. He sat on a barrel and sharpened an array of knifes.

_„Pirates portside!“_

Dom turned his head, squinting at the horizon and the small frigate he could make out. He shook off Boudewijn‘s hand and darted below to the cabin where his chest with belongings was. He sifted through his stuff until he found a belt, black leather gloves and his rapier.

Dom stepped up on deck again, rapier drawn and jaw clenched. Sniggering reach his ears and he turned to Alex just in time to catch something the chef had thrown.

„Shove it into your boot,“ Alex shouted, „that toothpick will break after one good hit.“

Dom looked down at the knife in the leather sheath in his hand. He bent down to do as he was told, bouncing on his balls to test how the knife sat in his boot. „Thanks, but the rapier won‘t break.“

„If you say so, bonnie.“

„Okay, passengers, go below please,“ Wolstenholme‘s voice bounced over the ship.

Boudewijn pushed past Dom and hurried down, still muttering darkly.

„I think I’d rather stay on deck,“ Miss Palmer objected.

„Miss, I really must insist. Your security…“

„No, I really think I‘d be of more use on deck,“ she insisted.

„Fine, on your own responsibility,“ Wolstenholme said and turned to glare at the frigate that was a lot bigger by now. „Everyone ready to fight?“

„Sure, give them hell,“ Alex growled.

Dom glanced sideways, doing a double-take when he saw the chef with a knife in each hand and another knife between his teeth. Dom directed his eyes back to the advancing pirate ship, wondering how many knives had been hidden in his boots and under his sleeves.

„What‘s that? On their bowsprit?“ Dom blinked. It couldn‘t be, could it?

Alex removed the knife from his mouth. „He‘s gonna be _so_ pissed off.“

 

 

„Let me free, you bastard water apes!“ Matthew screamed and yanked at the ropes of the fishing net.

Blixa sat on the bowsprit, a long paddle in his hands, and poked it against the struggling merman who hung underneath him. „Be calm, you‘re our bait.“

„Fuck you, you half-breed siren,“ Matthew shouted, trying but failing to dodge the next prod. However, he managed to grab the paddle and hold tight. He tried to yank it out of Blixa‘s hands, but the other just laughed.

„Let go or I‘ll sing something for you.“

Matthew glared up and yanked one last time on the paddle before letting go. He had struggled when they had dragged him to this humiliating spot. As a result to his stubborn efforts to hinder the pirates as much as possible, he was honoured with an encore of Blixa‘s musical skills. Two pirates knelt on his arms so he couldn‘t even protect his ears while the bloody siren screamed. It didn’t stop until Matthew‘s own screams had died and all he could do was whimper pathetically and bite his lips to prevent him from begging.

Blixa stood and peered out at the sea. „Looks like your friends are coming for you. Seems we’ll meet them faster than anticipated.“

Matthew turned his head and followed Blixa’s eyeline. He could make out the familiar shape of a barque. He didn‘t know if he should be relieved at being rescued or scared of what the pirates might have planned.

Blixa laughed again and balanced back onto the ship to meet the captain. Cave leant forward and shouted at Matthew, „I heard a fairy tale not long ago.“ He grinned. „From a far away kingdom. About a prince who fell in love with a mermaid and left his country to become a sailor. I wonder if there‘s truth in this.“

Matthew wiggled in the net, causing it to swing around, so his back faced the two pirates. Unfortunately, he hadn’t counted on the inertia causing a 360° swing circle and he ended up facing his amused captors again, swaying slightly.

„You see why you‘re such a valuable fish,“ Cave purred.

„I will sink your bloody ship.“

Laughter greeted Matthew‘s snarl and the two men just turned their backs on him, ignoring his cursing.

Matthew watched the Black Swan advance and heard the pirates getting ready to board. He stared at the barque, now almost side to side with the Stella Maris. He saw familiar faces, even that bloody Palmer woman, and finally found Alex and his partner among the crew.

„I take it you want your fish back?“ Cave‘s voice sounded from behind Matthew.

„Don‘t call him fish!“ Dominic screamed back.

Cave laughed. „I guess you‘re his partner. Why don‘t you come over and we’ll talk about the conditions of the fish‘s release?“

Dom frowned and chewed his lips. What was the pirate planning? And even more importantly, what did he know about Dominic?

„Don‘t you dare come over!“ Matthew shouted. „Sink this wretched ship!“

Cave laughed again. „Even if you sink this ship, the fish won‘t be able to free himself. He‘ll be dragged down and he may not drown, but he might starve instead.“

„Come and get him if you dare!“ Miss Palmer shouted before Dominic could make up his mind.

He turned to her and frowned. If the pirates boarded the Black Swan, how would he be able to free Matthew? What was she playing at? She turned to him and winked, smirking mischievously. She fumbled in the small bag that was always tied on a thread around her waist and produced a tiny rag doll.

„If you insist, Miss,“ Cave answered and turned to Blixa.

The First Mate opened his mouth and Matthew pressed the heels of his hands against his ears just as Miss Palmer breathed on the doll and placed a finger on the red stripe that formed the doll‘s mouth.

No sound escaped Blixa‘s mouth.

Matthew and the pirates turned to Blixa, frowning in confusion. The siren grabbed his throat and coughed, looking puzzled himself.

Cave turned his head to glare at Miss Palmer. „Voodoo witch,“ he growled.

Miss Palmer smiled sweetly and opened the palm of her left hand. She blew against it and a tiny paper bird left her hand and flew in a gust of wind and a few loops in the direction of the fishing net.

„Charge!“ Cave screamed and the pirates threw grappling hooks towards the Black Swan. Only a few of them got stuck in the railing, but the next wave of grappling hooks was sent even before the Black Swan‘s crew could cut off the ropes attached to them.

Matthew watched helplessly as the pirates boarded the Black Swan, wishing that they hadn‘t come to rescue him. It would be his fault if the Black Swan sunk, his friends died and Dom taken hostage. He yanked at the net, but the thick ropes still wouldn‘t give way. Matthew slouched, not wanting to witness the massacre that would no doubt be occurring on the other ship.

A tiny movement next to him made Matthew look up. He recognised the tiny paper bird that Miss Palmer had released. He extended his hand to catch it, but the bird avoided him and instead rose higher again and settled on the ropes, just underneath the thick knot that hindered Matthew‘s attempts to escape even more.

The merman cocked his head, puzzled by the strange behaviour of this inanimate object. Its tiny wings fluttered in the wind, but it wasn‘t carried away. Matthew lifted his hand towards it, one finger stretched. Before he could reach it though, the bird blew up in a surprisingly big flame, scorching most of the ropes.

Matthew yelped and pulled his hand back to himself, when he felt the net give away, sending him down into the water. He blinked, surprised. That was not what he had expected to happen. Battle noises broke through his state of surprise and he dived down and underneath the Black Swan.

Dom had seen Matthew fall and followed his path, running to the other side of the ship and dodging the fighters, figuring Matt would surface there. He was right. The merman was already swimming alongside the ship, impatiently.

„Matthew!“ Dom shouted and leant over the rail, happy to see the merman healthy and well.

„Drop me an axe!“ Matthew shouted back, not bothering with a greeting.

Dom frowned. „Are you serious? They could all die!“

„They hang me in a bloody net from the bowsprit,“ Matt ranted, clearly not impressed by the possibility of drowning a whole ship‘s crew. „They try to sink your ship, they want to use me to blackmail you. And they want to _cook_ me. If they want fish, they can have fish. An ocean full of hungry, sharp-toothed fish!“

„You‘re scaring me.“

„Just drop me an axe or something similar.“

„It could hit you!“

„I can dive when you drop it and catch it underwater,“ Matthew insisted. „NOW GET ME AN AXE!“

Dom nodded and ran around on deck, trying to find an axe that wasn‘t held by a fighting man. He saw one in the hands of a pirate advancing on Alex, who already was in a fight with another pirate. Clenching his teeth, Dom ran over to the three men and pressed his rapier against the axe-wielding pirate‘s back.

„Drop the axe, you back-stabbing coward!“ Dom hissed maliciously.

The pirate froze for a moment, then abruptly swivelled around, axe raised and screaming. Dom lifted his weapon to the pirate‘s jugular and rose one eyebrow.

„Drop it,“ Dom repeated. „And then you can jump overboard.“

The pirate let the axe fall from his hands and shuffled sideways, following the jerk of Dom‘s head and the pressure of the rapier‘s tip. „I can‘t swim.“

Dom carefully knelt down and quickly seized the axe. „Do I look as if I care?“ He manoeuvred them towards the railing and turned so that they stood parallel with the wooden wall. He glanced down and saw Matthew swimming towards him, waving impatiently.

„What took you so long?“

„Had to organise one first!“ Dom shouted and threw the axe overboard.

„What does he want with an axe?“ the pirate asked.

Dom smiled sweetly, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Matthew diving and shortly after reappearing with the axe in his hands, a sadistic grin on his lips. „Guess what?“ Dom answered. He jerked his head towards the ocean. „Your turn. Go on, follow that axe.“

„No, please, have mercy, I really can‘t swim. I‘ll drown!“ the pirate begged.

„I heard you wanted to cook my fish,“ Dom growled.

The pirate‘s eyes widened, appalled as he realised just who was threatening him. „That was just a joke… we wouldn‘t… really…“ He fell silent and hesitantly crawled onto the railing. „Please,“ he begged one last time before he felt a stab in his backside.

Dom didn‘t wait for the scream to end with a loud splash. He turned and searched for Alex, wounding a few pirates on his way. He found the chef surrounded by weeping and moaning pirates, almost all of them missing a few fingers.

„I hope you don‘t plan on using those knifes to prepare the next meal,“ Dom stated and kicked one of the lying pirates.

Alex grinned at him. „Pirate blood has just the right aroma.“

Dom shuddered. „Matthew wanted me to drop him an axe.“

„I knew he‘d be pissed off,“ Alex chuckled, as he sliced off another pirate‘s finger. „They shouldn‘t have hung him on the bowsprit.“

Screams where heard from the Stella Maris and the fighting on the Black Swan stopped. The remaining crew on the Stella Maris where running around like headless chickens and throwing anything heavy they could find into the ocean

This, however, didn‘t stop the furious merman at all. He dove underneath the hull and started smashing a new hole into it.

„Dom, stop staring at your mad lover and help me tie up the captives,“ Alex‘ voice disrupted Dom.

Dom looked around the Black Swan. Most of the pirates were wounded, and those who weren‘t had lost their motivation to fight. They were staring helplessly at the Stella Maris, which had begun to sink. Matthew had managed to grab a rope and had looped it around the throat of a gaunt man with unkempt black hair. He would pull him underneath the water’s surface as soon as that man opened his mouth.

Wondering what exactly that pirate had done to Matthew to be treated with such hatred, Dom turned to Alex and helped to tie the defeated pirates together. When they were done, the Stella Maris had sunk even more, and most of the pirates were treading water, trying to escape the suction. Dom leant over the rail, feeling bad for the men. He knew that seamen often couldn‘t swim, and trying to escape the suction of a sinking ship would be almost impossible.

He craned his neck to find Matthew, but the merman was not to be seen anywhere.

„Matthew?“ Dom shouted, running up and down the rail.

He heard a bloodcurling scream coming from the rudder and ran aft, despite all his instincts telling him to curl up and whimper. The scream died as fast as it had started and Dom found Matthew tying the pirate he had tortured before, to the large rudder. The pirate‘s mouth was barely above water and each wave covered his head anew.

„Matthew?“

Matthew looked up and waved cheerfully at Dom. „He‘s a bloody half-siren!“ he shouted up. „If he so much as opens his mouth, throw something heavy at him.“

Dom nodded and watched Matthew dive again. By now the Stella Maris had disappeared and the crew was clinging to random pieces of their former ship and crying for help. Dom‘s eyes alighted on a man with a tricorne. He recognised him as the captain, and sure enough, Matthew surfaced directly in front of him; grinning widely, axe resting on his shoulder.

The captain shook his head, but Matthew just laughed and submerged, followed shortly after by the captain. They reappeared a few metres towards the Black Swan, and Dom heard Matthew‘s voice.

„One wrong move and I dive again. And I can assure you, I can hold my breath a lot longer than you.“

The captain nodded meekly.

Dom heard a noise from beneath, his head spinning even before he could figure out what the source of the noise was. It ended in a gurgle and Dom dared to peek over the rail at the wheezing man tied to the rudder.

Alex joined his side and laughed. „Behold the wrath of the merman.“

„Hey, stop nattering and help me. Capt‘n Cave wants to experience the hospitality of the Black Swan.“

Dom and Alex directed their eyes towards Matthew and the pirate captain. Cave stared at the man tied to the rudder and struggled in Matt‘s grip.

„What have you done to my First Mate?“

Without bothering to answer, Matthew submerged. When they appeared again, Dom and Alex had already thrown a rope over the railing. Matthew let the axe go, and pushed Cave against the hull. He grabbed the rope and slung it around his captive, making sure it was tight. He swam back a few metres once he was done and waved at Dom and Alex to pull the captain aboard. Dom could hear gleeful laughter whenever a thump and groan indicated that Cave had hit the hard hull.

 

 

Matthew sat in his caboose bathtub and dug into the fish stew. The crew had welcomed him back aboard, hugging the merman and passing him from one sailor to the other, until he had ended up in Alex‘s arms. The chef had laughed and ran off to the caboose, ignoring both Matthew‘s and Dom‘s shouts. He had dropped Matthew into the bathtub, pressed a bowl of fish stew into the merman’s hands and kissed his forehead, before Dom had managed to break through the door and yank the chef away.

Dom had pushed Alex out of the caboose and forbidden him to enter again within the next two hours. Matthew had laughed and pushed his fingers into the stew, wondering how Alex had managed to keep it warm during the battle.

He finished his third helping and let the bowl swim in the water of his tub.

„Feeling better?“ Dom asked.

„Almost,“ Matt answered and twisted around, reaching for Dom.

Dom smirked. „What‘s missing to make you feel completely good?“

Matt pouted. „You, in my bathtub.“

„Wait a moment,“ Dom answered and rose from the chair, slipping out of his shirt.

„I don‘t want to wait,“ Matt insisted. „I want you _now_.“

„Just let me get undressed, will you?“

„You should have known that I would want you to join me as soon as I‘d finished eating,“ the merman retorted. „You could have got undressed long ago.“

„Demanding, are we?“ Dom pushed his trousers down and stepped out of them, and finally naked, gestured for Matthew to make room for him in the bathtub.

Matthew shook his head and reclined. He lifted a hand and beckoned Dom to straddle him. Grinning, Dom complied and sank down to lie on the merman. Matthew embraced him and pulled him further down, burying his face against the human‘s neck once they were settled.

„I was so scared,“ Matthew murmured. „So scared of never seeing you again. And when I saw you again, before the battle, I was so scared something would happen to you. I…“ He fell silent.

Dom shifted so they were lying sideways, facing each other, and pushed Matthew‘s face up to look at him. „I know. I panicked when you didn‘t appear again. I didn‘t know what had happened, I didn‘t even know where I would start looking for you.“

„How did you find me this fast? The pirates only planned to charge tomorrow.“

„You wouldn‘t believe it…“

„Tell me.“

„Amanda…“ Dom stopped himself, swallowing when he saw Matthew‘s eyes narrowing to angry slits. „Miss Palmer. She‘s well… some kind of witch. She found you, using some of the water from your bathtub.“

„Oh. I… I guess I‘ll have to thank her,“ Matthew frowned. Having to thank that woman was not something he was looking forward to. „I think she destroyed the net I was caught in, too.“

„She‘s quite mysterious,“ Dom muttered.

„She‘s too interested in you,“ Matt growled.

They fell silent again, sharing kisses and idle strokes over wet skin and scales.

„The pirates, they told me some kind of fairy tale,“ Matt spoke after a while.

„Oh? Which one?“

„Cave said he had heard about a prince who fell in love with a mermaid and left his kingdom to become a sailor.“

„You mean…“ Dom swallowed. So Cave had had at least a suspicion about Dom‘s origins.

„Yes, they wanted to use me as a bait to get to you.“

„Do you think I should tell the crew?“

Matthew shrugged. „Your decision. Although I‘d tell Alex. He‘s your friend, and I doubt he‘d tell anyone without your approval.“

„Guess so,“ Dom agreed hesitantly.

Matthew nodded and submerged, wiggling and twisting until his tail fins were in front of Dom‘s face. The human grinned and dipped his head to nibble on the soft skin. Matt squirmed and a sharp pain ran through Dom‘s big toe when two rows of teeth closed around it.

Dom let the fin slip from his mouth, but made a grab for the part of the tail where the tail fins started. He swayed them gently back and forth, until Matt‘s head appeared again.

„Oi!“

Dom grinned downwards. „You get to play with my feet, I get to play with your tail fins.“

„Fair enough,“ Matthew admitted. „But I’m try to get you aroused. What you‘re doing is making me giggle and destroying the atmosphere.“

„Awwwww,“ Dom pouted. „Maybe I like this as foreplay. I could easily change my hand‘s position.“ He loosened his grip and stroked his hand down the underside of Matt‘s tail, watching the mating pattern appear.

Matthew growled and turned sharply, spilling quite an amount of water in the process. Before Dom could process what was happening, he was faced with the upper side of Matthew‘s tail bent in an elongated curve and an altogether different wetness and warmth surrounded a certain, needy part of his anatomy.

Bucking his hips violently, Dom cursed and buried his hands in Matthew‘s hair.

 

 

Alex came back into the caboose in time to see Matt surfacing, grinning smugly and licking his lips, and Dom resting against the wall of the tub, red-faced and panting.

„Awww, damn,“ Alex drawled. „I should have come just a few minutes earlier.“

Matt laughed and slid closer to Dom, his tail still shining white and blue. „You can still see Dominic repaying the favour, though.“

„What?“ Dom spluttered. „Not a snowball‘s chance in hell! Fuck off, Alex!“

„Dominiiiiic,“ Matt whined, kissing his way over Dom‘s neck.

„No.“

„I can pretend to be cooking,“ Alex suggested hopefully.

„No! Get out or Matthew will stay sexually frustrated for quite some time.“

„That‘s mean. I would suck you off with Alex watching,“ Matt pouted, wiggling his tail between Dom‘s legs.

„Alex is _not_ good influence on you,“ Dom announced.

„ Come on,“ Alex urged, not prepared to give up yet. „It‘s not as if would I see anything that could be embarrassing for you.“

„I won‘t give you even _more_ material to wank over!“ Dom snapped.

Two wet hands gripped his hair and Dom‘s head was yanked forward. Matt crashed his mouth against Dom‘s and forced his tongue into his mouth. He refused to break the kiss until Dom pushed him away, roughly.

„Do it, please.“ Matt leant forward to whisper in Dom‘s ear. „Give him something to wank over. Show him what only _you_ can do to me. Show me off.“

„Like this?“ Dom asked and dragged his right foot down Matt‘s tail.

The merman shuddered and closed his eyes, head falling back. „Yes.“

Dom leant forward, stroking his hands over Matt‘s sides until they reached the spot that always had the merman purring and squirming helplessly. Dom scratched lightly over the lower tail and pressed his face against Matt‘s throat. He grinned at Alex.

„Didn‘t you want to cook?“ Dom asked.

Alex swallowed, one of his hands pressing against his crotch. „Would you be able to cook while witnessing _this_?“

„No,“ Dom answered and brought his arms around Matt, embracing the merman instead of concentrating on pleasuring him. „And that‘s why I won‘t go on until you‘ve left the caboose.“

„You‘re a cruel man, Dominic Howard,“ Alex proclaimed.

Matt groaned and turned his head to look at the chef. „Sorry, smutje.“ He shrugged, hugging Dom close, tail undulating slowly. „But Dominic won‘t continue until you leave and I…“

„Savvied.“ Alex smiled and reluctantly backed out of the room. He pushed the door against the door frame, making sure the click was heard, and waited a moment before he carefully opened the door a crack again.

He could see just enough into the caboose to see the heads and shoulders of his friends, soft moans and teasing sounds wafting over to him. Alex could recognise the shift of shoulders against shoulders, muscles flexing with the intention of bringing pleasure, lips tracing gill caps, a black-haired head thrown back delightfully. A final moan and Matt slumped down against Dom, eyes half-lidded and a lazy smile on his lips. Dom smiled and reclined, pulling Matt with him.

With the image of Dom tenderly pushing Matt‘s hair out of his eyes and leaning in to kiss his partner, Alex closed the door and headed straight to his cabin. He smiled, only feeling slightly guilty for spying on such an intimate moment, when it had been as beautiful as this.

 

_  
Adri stared wide-eyed at Matthew. „They hung you from the bowsprit?“_

_„Yes,“ Matthew growled. „And I told them I would sink their bloody ship.“_

_„I was positively scared of you,“ Dominic admitted. He stretched over to kiss Matthew._

_„What happened then?“ Adri asked excitedly, looking from Matthew to Dominic to Amanda. „Was that all that happened on that journey?“_

_„Oh, no, that was just the start,“ Amanda answered, grinning widely._

_„Tell me more!“ Adri demanded._

_„It‘s bed time,“ Matthew declared. „You’d better go to your chambers, before your mother comes to fetch you again.“_

_Adri pouted at him, but jumped off the wheelchair and kissed him goodnight. She turned to Amanda and extended her hand. „Will you tell me more tomorrow?“_

_„If you want,“ Amanda answered and shook Adri‘s hand._

_Adri nodded, enthusiastically. „Yes!“_

_„Goodnight, Adri,“ Matthew repeated._

_The girl turned and pouted at the merman before walking to her uncle and kissing Dominic goodnight. She waved a last time at the door and disappeared._

_„Aww, Matthew, are you still jealous?“ Amanda purred._

_The merman crossed his arms and stared in the opposite direction._

_„You‘re quite a possessive fish, aren‘t you?“ Amanda chuckled, still being ignored by Matthew._

_Dominic grinned and grabbed the armrest, yanking the wheelchair awkwardly closer. Matthew yelped, but leant towards his partner. He reached out to pull Dominic‘s head towards his and pressed their lips together._

_„It‘s somewhat comforting to see that some things never change,“ Amanda‘s voice was heard from the end of the terrace._

_Dominic broke the kiss and turned his head. „Do you want to stay in the palace for the night?“ he offered._

_Amanda shook her head. „No, thanks. I found a nice place on the beach.“ She waved and made her way from the terrace over a small path towards the sea._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo… Can you guess what‘s to come some time soon? I dropped a hint, lol.  
> And actually I had planned someone else to use for the role of the wizard, but then my AFP obsession started and she‘s so much better for this role.  
> And I couldn‘t resist the pirates either. I mean take young Nick Cave or Blixa Bargeld in their more… self-destructive phase. Just perfect.  
> Stella Maris is a very, very beautiful song by the Einstürzende Neubauten.  
> Youtube vid with English subtitles: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm_aut6RDAY>  
> The Blixa in this story: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thHx7cdoaAc>  
> and Nick in this story: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvlS4BwTUQw>  
> And if you want to know what makes Blixa so perfect as a siren: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C16hjYO6X0c> (starting at around 3:00)  
> And if you hear some strange noises in the background of Bad Seeds songs, it‘s most likely dear Blixa Bargeld, too. XD
> 
> And now I wonder if we ever see those two again. I didn‘t plan to use them as returning cast, but… they‘re fun, and I couldn‘t give them as much „screen time“ as I had wanted to. :(


	6. Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an, blutrot die Segel, schwarz der Mast?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Story takes a turn for the Creepy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sprookjes, sprookjes, spooky sprookjes.  
> Don‘t say I haven‘t warned you. Hurr hurr hurr
> 
> I have to say, I‘m quite please with a lot of this one. :D  
>  Title nabbed from Wagner, and more I will not say, for it would be a spoiler.
> 
> _Thanks:_ Go to Maartje for helping with grammar.
> 
> _Beta:_ My lovely Aero, might minty. Sorry again for scaring you like this. *hugs*

_Adri sat on Matthew‘s lap the following evening, awaiting Amanda‘s return. She had her arms crossed and hardly spoke, despite her uncle‘s attempts to make the pout disappear._

_„I‘ve been thinking,“ she announced, after a brief greeting when Amanda had arrived._

_„That‘s a good girl,“ Amanda smiled and sat down on a free chair._

_„You met my uncles early in their journeys,“ Adri continued._

_„Yes,“ affirmed Amanda. She glanced at Matthew and Dominic who both were smirking, obviously proud of their niece for noticing certain details that some people didn‘t pay much attention to._

_„But you still look so young. Shouldn‘t you be much older?“_

_„You‘re a clever girl,“ Amanda answered, smiling. „I tell you what happened next on our first journey together, shall I?“_

_„If it answers my question,“ Adri retorted and crossed her arms._

_„I can tell you spend a lot of time with your uncles.“  
_

 

„Why am I not getting any food?“ Boudewijn sat in the mess between sailors enthusiastically wolfing down their meals. He stared down at the bowl with dry bread and then glared at the full bowls of fried fish and steamed vegetables.

„You didn‘t want to rescue Matt, so you‘re not getting any of the fish he caught,“ Alex answered. He filled Captain Wolstenholme‘s and Amanda‘s bowls and turned back towards the kitchen. „You should be grateful that you‘ve even been given this piece of bread.“

Boudewijn glared at the chef and turned to the Captain. Wolstenholme shrugged. „Not gonna argue with the chef,“ he announced and joyfully dug into his second fill of fish and vegetables.

„And why do we have to transfer those pesky pirates? Aren‘t there any other ships without goods and passengers to do that?“

„We‘re the fastest and the VOC want to hang Cave and Blixa as fast as possible.“

„They could have done so in Cape Town already.“

„They want the world to see. Hanging them somewhere in Africa won‘t bring enough publicity,“ Amanda answered. She smiled at Alex. „This meal is delicious. I really should travel more often with the Black Swan just to enjoy your meals.“

Alex grinned. „Thank you, Ma‘am. I only use the best fish, too, thanks to our resident fish.“

„Talking of our fish,“ the Captain said, „where are Dom and Matt?“

„I think they are having something resembling a tryst on deck, gazing alternately over the sea and into each other‘s eyes,“ Alex answered, chuckling. „Aaaaaah, true love,“ he sung and skipped towards the caboose.

„One would think he‘s the one in love, not Dominic and Matthew,“ Amanda commented.

 

 

On deck Dom and Matt were busy doing exactly what Alex had guessed they would be doing. Matt was propped up against the railing, Dom supporting him from behind. The human‘s arms rested next to Matt‘s and their fingers were intertwined. Matt leant his head back against Dom‘s shoulder and hummed.

„Something‘s coming,“ Matt spoke. „I can feel it in the wind.“

Dom lifted his head from Matt‘s neck and frowned down at the pensive merman. „What?“

Matt shrugged. „I don‘t know.“ He twisted in Dom‘s arms until he could face his lover. „Can‘t you feel it?“

„Well…“ Dom frowned. He looked behind Matt, telling himself that this slightly unsettling feeling he had woken to was just homesickness. Although, homesickness felt different, didn‘t it?

„You can,“ Matt stated. „The whole crew does.“

Dom turned around slowly, making sure Matt could hold on to him. Dom took in the crew. The habitual mocking and chit-chat was missing. The men were working in silence, only exchanging commands and requests. Even the two pirates chained to the mizzen mast, supposed to be scrubbing the deck, were working in silence, their usual complaints and defiance subdued.

„I rather stay aboard today,“ Matt said and Dom turned around. He wanted to answer, but a female voice disrupted him.

„Good choice,“ Amanda said. She had left the mess and approached them.

„Do you know something?“ Dom asked.

She shook her head. „Only the sailor‘s yarn,“ she admitted. „Trust your instincts, though.“

„Sailor‘s yarn? What kind of sailor‘s yarn?“

„Ever heard of the Vliegende Hollander?“ Cave interrupted the conversation.

„Don‘t mention this damned ship!“ Tom, the first mate, shouted and poured the bucket of water he was carrying over the pirate. Cave cursed, but Tom simply threw the bucket at him.

„The Vliegende Hollander?“ Dom repeated. He remembered faintly hearing a horror story about a damned ship and its blasphemous captain.

„Don‘t say that name,“ Matt said. „Don‘t talk about it.“ He turned his head and stared thoughtfully over the sea.

„But it‘s only a story,“ Dom objected.

Matt turned sharply back to him. „A story that‘s so persistent that even a merman from another ocean knows it?“

„Well, it‘s popular,“ Dom retorted weakly.

„No, Dominic, listen, if not to us, then listen to your own instinct.“

Dom frowned. There was something in Matt‘s voice and eyes, in his whole behaviour, that was somehow off and even more unsettling for Dom than the niggling feeling in the back of his head.

„You‘re scared.“

„Yes,“ Matt admitted. „I know we can fight off living beings, but how can you fight damned souls? They are already dead.“

„We‘ll be okay,“ Dom answered. He lifted a hand and entangled his fingers in Matt‘s hair, using his hold to gently pulled the merman‘s head nearer. „And look, it‘s windstill, no other ship could turn up today.“

„That‘s what worries me,“ Amanda murmured.

Dom just wanted to ask what she meant by that, when he was disrupted once again.

„Why are we not moving?“ Boudewijn demanded.

„Because this is a sailing ship and we‘ve got no wind,“ Tom answered and rolled his eyes.

„Then why is _that_ ship moving?“ Boudewijn retorted and pointed at something starboard.

„What ship?“ Tom frowned and the group looked into the direction Boudewijn had pointed. They could see a ship approaching, red sails hoisted and a torn flag hanging lifelessly from the black main mast.

Dom shuddered. He never had seen a ship with red sails. Even his father had discarded the idea after learning the price for that much cloth to be dyed red. It would have been pure indulgence and simply unjustifiable to spend such a huge amount of gold on textiles that had to be renewed rather often, too.

„Why didn‘t the lookout say anything?“ Tom wondered. He looked up to the crow‘s nest, frowning when he saw the lookout staring straight into the direction of the oncoming ship. „Hey, Liam, you okay?!“ he shouted, but Liam gave no answer. He didn‘t react at all.

„What‘s wrong with him?“ Dom asked. „Maybe someone should climb up and check if he‘s okay?“

Tom nodded. „Are you free?“

„No,“ Matt answered before Dom could even open his mouth. The merman‘s grip on Dom‘s arm and shoulder tightened.

„I could climb up,“ Amanda offered.

„No, ma‘am.“ Tom shook his head firmly. „You‘re a passenger and a woman. I know you proved to be full of surprises and skilled, but I must insist that you do not climb into the crow‘s nest. It would be unfitting in your attire at least.“

„Well, give me trousers and I‘m ready to go,“ Amanda retorted.

„No, ma‘am, I really must insist,“ Tom answered and glanced over the deck.

„I‘ll go,“ Dom announced. He stared upwards. Liam still hadn‘t moved at all.

„Dominic!“

„Matthew, I‘ll just climb up, check if Liam‘s okay and come back.“

Matt let go of Dom and sunk to the floor. He grabbed Dom‘s trousers. „Don‘t look at the ship when you‘re up there.“

„Matthew…“ Dom knelt down and put his hands on Matt‘s shoulders.

„ _Promise._ “

„Okay, I promise. I won‘t look starboard at all, okay? I promise. I‘ll be back down in no time.“

Matt nodded weakly. He extended his arms and pulled Dom into a tight embrace. „Be careful.“

„You would think Blondie‘s never been in the crow‘s nest before,“ Boudewijn mocked. He had barely closed his mouth again, when he felt something collide with his legs. He stumbled and fell and was pulled towards an angry merman within seconds.

„Why don‘t _you_ climb up there, stupid ape?“ Matt hissed.

Boudewijn tried to prise Matt‘s hands away from his collar, but as soon as he had closed his hands over Matt‘s, the fishtail hit Boudewijn against the head.

„You are a bloody useless waste of matter, so why don‘t you just shut up and hide in your cabin and let people do their work?!“

Matt let go of his victim and Boudewijn struggled to his feet, hurrying to step out of Matt‘s range.

„This fish is insane!“ he shouted and fumbled in the pocket on his belt until he had a knife in his hands. Within moments, he found himself being thrown to the floor again, this time with Dom hovering above him. One hand was closed around Boudewijn‘s throat, the other wrapped around his wrist. Dom crashed the hand holding the knife against the wood until Boudewijn let go of the weapon.

„Once again,“ Dom hissed into his ear, „you don‘t know who you‘re trying to mess with. And if you so much as dare to lay _one_ finger on Matthew, I‘ll throw you over board and I‘ll have you know, no judge, no executioner will lay hands on _me_.“ He straightened again and kicked the knife away.

„Now that we‘ve got this settled, could you please check on Liam?“

 

 

Fifteen minutes later, Dom had reached the crow‘s nest and had crawled into it. Liam hadn‘t acknowledged his presence yet, and Dom was expecting the worst. He circled the mast and finally stood in front of the sailor.

„Liam?“ Dom asked him, but Liam was just standing stiff and rigid and facing starboard. It itched Dom to turn his head and look into the direction that Liam was staring unerringly into, but he had promised Matthew he wouldn‘t look, and he would keep any promise he had given the merman.

Dom waved one of his hands in front of Liam‘s eyes. No change of expression. He let his hand sink down again, but suddenly he felt something cold taking hold of his arm. Startled, he looked down to find Liam‘s right hand curled around his wrist, cold radiating from it and sizzling over Dom‘s skin.

Slowly, Dom lifted his head again. Liam had turned his head and was now staring directly at Dom. He opened his mouth and an unearthly, shrill sound left his lungs. Dom raised his hand to his face to shield his nose and mouth from the gust of dead scent. He watched wide-eyed as Liam‘s eyes dripped from their sockets, black liquid that ran over the sailor‘s cheeks. Some of it dripped over his lips and into his mouth, just to be spat out again in the airstream of the scream. It hit Dom‘s hand and he yanked it free from Liam‘s hold.

Stepping out of the spit‘s range, he hurriedly wiped it on his trousers. When Dom looked back at Liam, his eye sockets were empty and his whole face had started to become gaunt. The scream had subsided, Dom noticed by the change of ringing in his ears. Nevertheless, Liam‘s mouth was still wide open. The skin around it grew tighter until it ripped like parchment and the lower jaw fell. It bounced over the planks and fell through the hatch Dom had left open, quickly disappearing out of sight.

Dom looked back to Liam again, now faced with what only could be described as a mummy. Clothes hanging loosely from the shrunken, dry form. Dom stumbled backwards and felt the rim of the crow‘s nest with his back. His hands grabbed the edge tightly while Liam toppled over and collided with Dom‘s chest.

Dom screamed and, without thinking, grabbed Liam‘s form and tossed it over the side. Too late, he realised that he had turned starboard and could almost see the sea. He heard shouts coming from the deck and squeezed his eyes shut.

He turned around and sunk to the floor, resting his back against the wall of the small basket. He was trembling violently. Trying to calm his breathing, he shook his head and buried it between his knees, tears starting to run over his cheeks. He lifted his hand and rubbed the liquid away, relieved when he saw that it was colourless and not black.

„Dominic!“

He could hear Matthew calling for him and crawled over to the hatch.

„I‘m fine!“ he shouted down. „Just… just give me a moment.“

„Should someone come up to you?“ Tom shouted back.

Dom wanted to shout back that he was okay, but he knew he wasn‘t. He was still trembling all over, breath still ragged. He wouldn‘t be able to climb down on his own anytime soon. „Yes, please! Just don‘t look starboard!“

 

 

Three-quarters of an hour after another sailor had arrived in the crow‘s nest, Dom was on solid boards again. He had somewhat calmed down during the descent, but as soon as he was standing on his own two feet without support, he fell to the floor, his back hitting the mast.

Alex placed Matthew down next to Dom and the merman ran his hands all over Dom as if the human would fall apart if he wasn‘t grazed with another‘s touch.

„What happened up there?“

Dom looked up and saw the whole crew assembled around him. Captain Wolstenholme knelt down and placed a hand on Dom‘s shoulder. It was brushed off within a second by Matt, who had stopped to try and touch every inch of Dom at once. Instead, he was pressed against Dom, head buried against the human‘s neck and arms tightly around his torso.

„I don‘t know,“ Dom answered. He lifted his trembling arms to embrace Matt and drew a deep breath. Having an armful of merman was certainly quite calming. „Liam, he… did you hear his scream?“

The crew nodded.

„His eyes melted, and then… it was like he was mummifying. His jaw fell off and then fell down the hatch.“

„We know, it fell on Cave.“

„The ship!“ Boudewijn‘s voice was heard. It had a distinct hysterical quality. The crew turned to look starboard. Disbelieving and horrified murmurs were heard.

„What? What is it?“ Dom asked, but was ignored. He nudged Matt and used the mast to push them upwards. „What? How?“

Matt lifted his head from Dom‘s shoulder and turned his head. „How can it be this fast?“ he asked. „There‘s no bloody wind.“

The ship that Boudewijn had spotted had caught up and was now floating next to the Black Swan in perfect silence. The crimson sails were hoisted and taut in the windless air. They glistened in the afternoon sun, a contrast to the black masts supporting them.

The sails, however, were the only thing remotely glistening about the ship. The planks and boards were grey and green with algae, mould and decay. Dom could see a huge hole in the hull, just at sea level. Water was spilling into it with each wave.

„How can it even stay above water?“

„And where is the crew?“ Alex asked.

Indeed, the whole ship was deserted, no-one to be seen.

„Hey! Who are you? Show yourself!“ Boudewijn screamed.

„Are you mad?“ Tom hissed at him. „Do you want to wake sleeping ghosts even before they‘re due?“

„They‘re waiting for the night,“ Blixa made himself heard. He and Cave were standing among the group as far as the chains around their ankles allowed.

„We‘re going to die,“ Cave added. „Could you loosen our restraints, please? There‘s nowhere we can go but it‘d give us all at least an equal chance.“

„You‘re lucky I‘m aboard,“ Amanda stated. „We might just reach the next port. So no need to let you two loose on this precious ship.“

„Oh, yes, I forgot, this ship has not only a mermaid, but also a witch,“ Cave grumbled.

„We only have a few hours until nightfall, so we need to make preparations.“ Amanda turned to the crew. „Is there anything made of ebony on this ship?“

„Are you joking?“ Captain Wolstenholme asked. „How could anyone even afford ebony?“

„My chest is ebony,“ Dom offered.

Amanda hummed, scratching her head. „Not quite.“ She turned to Boudewijn. „Do you have anything made of ebony?“

„My crucifix,“ he admitted hesitantly.

„Perfect. I need it.“

„Why? It‘s was expensive and I…“

„Do you want to reach the next port?“ she disrupted him impatiently. He nodded weakly. „Good, go and fetch it. What else? Silver, silver is always helpful.“ She looked around.

„I‘ve got a silver amulet,“ Dom offered. „Grandmother gave it to me, old family heirloom.“

„You might not get it back.“

„I’d rather miss a piece of jewellery than miss my life,“ Dom answered. He turned to walk to the cabins and fetch the item.

When he returned, a few more sailors had offered trinkets and charms. Amanda rifled through them, mumbling and discarding most of the small pieces. She squinted at the small pile of three necklaces, a ring and a skilfully carved crucifix.

„This could get tough,“ she sighed.

„Here,“ Dom said and extended his hand.

Amanda reached out and Dom dropped the small silver item into her open palm. She picked it up with her other hand and looked at the locket with the intricate carving.

„Something wrong with it?“ Dom asked.

„No.“ She shook her head. „I know this crest. You‘re…“ She looked up at him.

Dominic shook his head.

„I see.“ She turned her attention back to the amulet. „This should help. It‘s old matter, maybe even older than the Hollander.“

„What are you going to do with the items?“

„I‘ll melt the silver, weave a few spells into it and mantle the crucifix with the silver. Then we only need to toss it at the captain.“

„Sounds easy enough.“

„Not if the captain notices there‘s strong magic aboard and chooses not to make an appearance.“

 

 

Matt sat in the bathtub in the caboose, Dom next to him, while Amanda was busy melting the silver in a small pot.

„You‘re a wandering soul,“ Matt stated.

Dom rose an eyebrow, confused about what Matt was referring to. Amanda murmured something in a language Dom never had heard, ignoring the merman. Matt crossed his arms and huffed.

Eventually, Amanda fell silent. She experimentally stirred the silver with the long end of the cross and then turned.

„You‘re a merman in love with a prince,“ she stated matter-of-factly. Dominic shifted uneasily on the chair. So she _had_ recognised the family crest.

„Something wrong with that?“ Matt retorted.

„Something wrong with me being a wandering soul?“ Amanda asked back.

„Guess not.“

Amanda dipped her head in confirmation and returned to preparing the cross. She had prepared several layers of linen and silk on the table and now laid the crucifix down on them. Humming a ghostly melody, she carried the silver over to the table and, singing lowly, poured it carefully over the wooden cross. Using another piece of cloth, she turned the crucifix around and coated its back in silver as well. Once the wood had completely disappeared underneath layers of the precious metal, Amanda lifted the corners of the fabrics and wrapped them around it. She let a last drop of molten silver fall on the package to seal it.

„What‘s a wandering soul?“ Dom asked, when Amanda had sat down on a chair after finishing her work.

„Sometimes, a child is born restless,“ she explained. „The child often shows strange skills akin to magic from an early age. Furthermore, it sits on the terrace or in the garden or at the beach and stares into the distance until one day it just leaves.“ She paused and dragged her chair further towards the bathtub. „I never figured out if this is meant to be a curse for misconduct in a past life or if it‘s supposed to be a blessing.“

„So you‘re something like a magician who travels?“

„Simplified, yes.“ Amanda sighed and dipped her hand into the water, ignoring Matt‘s frown. „I‘ve spent many years travelling, but the sea is the one place that calms me for a while. Being on a ship is like a vacation for me. I don‘t have to walk or ride long distances, but can stay in the same place with barely seeing anything different for months. Usually, I can‘t stand being in the same place for longer than a week.“

„Have you been travelling for a long time?“ Dom asked.

„About a century already.“

„You‘re ancient!“ Matt exclaimed.

„And you‘re rude,“ Amanda countered. She turned to Dom. „Sorry that I had to melt your amulet.“

Dom shrugged. „It‘s okay, I won‘t be king anyway.“

„You waived?“

„Yes, obviously you can‘t be a king without a bride to gift you with offspring,“ Dominic explained. „My sister will rule.“

„Was the amulet something important?“ Matt asked. He lifted his arms and pulled Dom towards him.

„Actually, yes,“ Dom answered. „It was proof of my ancestry.“

„That means when we reach another kingdom, you can‘t prove that you‘re a prince?“

Dom nodded. „Maybe I‘ll find another way to prove my ancestry when we‘re back home, but until then I really am nothing more than a sailor.“

Matt let go of Dom and reclined, humming thoughtfully.

„Hey!“ Dom exclaimed and pushed some water into Matt‘s face. „How am I to understand your sulking? You don‘t want to be together with a simple sailor? Thinking of leaving your Prince Charming?“

The slap against his cheek came even faster than Dom had expected.

„Stupid!“ Matthew snapped. „I was just thinking that this was something like a free ticket if you were to get into trouble.“

„Well, we‘re in trouble now, and the crest wouldn‘t help me one bit.“

„I‘m sorry to disrupt your cosy sit-in,“ Alex called, bursting through the door, „but the sun is setting and we can hear faint shanties from the Hollander.“

„So it begins,“ Amanda murmured. She rose, grabbed the prepared cross and left the caboose.

„You could still leave and be safe,“ Alex suggested to Matthew.

„Fuck you, smutje,“ hissed the merman. „I‘m not leaving any of you.“

„That‘s our fish,“ Alex laughed and ruffled Matt‘s hair, pressing a fleeting kiss to his temple.

„Shut up and help me on deck,“ Matt growled. He grabbed Dom‘s and Alex‘s shoulders and lifted himself up to sit on the rim of the bathtub.

A few moments later, they arrived on deck, Matt supported by his friends and swaying between them. The sun had almost sunk and the last rays of his red light made the Vliegende Hollander shine and appear even eerier. The sails seemed to be made of liquid, and the mould of the wood was plunged in crimson.

„If I wouldn‘t know better, I‘d swear this ship is covered in blood,“ Matt whispered. „Have you seen anyone on it yet?“

„No, but listen, you can hear the crew chanting,“ Alex answered.

Dom frowned and cocked his head. He could hear hoarse voices singing a song in a language vaguely familiar.

„It‘s Dutch,“ Boudewijn said. He was mouthing the words along. „ _Toen’k laatst van Suriname kwam, zag ik van ver een schip, ik dacht dat't aan de wolken hing, maar ’t zat al op een klip._ “

„As if we needed more proof that this is the Vliegende Hollander,“ Wolstenholme murmured. The crew shifted nearer to each other, exchanging glances.

„If we survive this, we‘re going to dance,“ Matthew said, his tone allowing no discussion.

„Aww, can I join in?“ Alex asked.

Matt and Dom turned their heads towards the chef. „No.“

„How can you think about _dancing_ in a situation as this?“ Boudewijn interrupted them.

Matt opened his mouth to snap his answer, when he noticed movement on the other ship. He turned his head and stared at the Vliegende Hollander. Men were appearing on the deck. They looked like rotten versions of Liam‘s corpse that had fallen from the crow‘s nest. The faint light of the evening sun filtered through the sails and tinted the wet clothes of the sailors red.

The shanty had changed. It wasn‘t cheery any longer and Dom could make out a few words, speaking about longing for their fatherland, its stars and their homes. Someone next to them screamed and the crew turned to see Liam standing upright, staring at the Hollander, mouthing the words of the shanty.

„Throw him over to the Hollander!“ Amanda shouted.

„But he‘s one of us!“

„Not anymore, throw him over to the Hollander!“

Boudewijn rushed forward and tried to yank Liam forward, but he was too weak and stumbled back, while the mummified Liam still sung, despite his missing lower jaw, his voice rising in volume. Eventually, Tom and a few other sailors darted forward and hurled Liam overboard. They heard a splash and Liam‘s voice from below, moving towards the ghost ship.

_„Willen jullie onze brieven bezorgen?“_

_„Mijn moeder wacht op niuews van mij.“_

_„Vertel mijn liefje dat ik van haar hou.“_

_„Neem alstublieft de brieven mee en bezorg ze!“_

„What do they want?“ Tom asked. The mummified sailors had stopped singing and were waving, something yellow clutched in their hands. „Are those letters?“

„They want us to deliver the letters to their family and loved ones,“ Boudewijn answered.

„Don‘t accept the letters,“ Amanda ordered. She craned her neck and saw Liam crawling up the hull.

„But if they‘re for their friends and family…“ Dom objected, he followed Amanda‘s eyes and saw how Liam managed to heave himself over the rail. How did he manage to climb up the hull?

_„Tell Louise that I love her,“_ he joined the damned choir.

„None of the letters can be delivered,“ Amanda explained. „Everyone those sailors knew are dead by now.“

„So what are we to do now? Wait and listen to them plead?“ cried Boudewijn.

„No ship rejected the letters and survived the night,“ Cave said.

„If you accept the letters this ship won‘t sink today, but it won‘t reach the next port either,“ Amanda shouted. „And accepting them now won‘t lure the captain out. And we need the captain if we want to get away.“

„So how to lure him out?“ Alex asked.

„By rejecting every single letter.“

_„Bezorg mijn brief!“_

„I feel sorry for them,“ Matt whispered. „I wonder how many of them are like Liam.“

Dom shifted, changing the weight pressing down on his shoulders, and pulled Matt‘s head towards him with his free hand. He pressed a kiss against Matt‘s temple, lost for comforting words.

 

 

Half an hour later, the Black Swan‘s crew still ignored the Hollander‘s crew as much as possible. The pleas had turned into cries of mourning and eventually, the damned crew was shouting angrily and cursing them. Dom was glad he couldn‘t understand most of it, but Boudewijn had gone pale and sat against the door to the cabins, trembling and staring at the planks.

After his and Alex‘s shoulders had grown tired of supporting the merman, Dom and Matt had sunk to the floor next to the merchant. Matthew‘s head was buried against Dom‘s neck and he refused to look up or answer to anyone. He reminded Dominic of the introverted and scared merman that he had first met.

„How long do we have to endure this?“ Tom asked. He was pacing up and down, pulling at his hair whenever his eyes strayed over to the Vliegende Hollander.

„Should be soon. They‘re already cursing at us, there‘s not much more they can do,“ Amanda answered.

„They could try to board!“ a sailor screamed. He lifted his pistol and aimed at one of the damned sailors.

„No!“ Amanda shouted, but it was too late; the sailor had pulled the trigger and one of the screaming mummies swayed and fell over the rail.

As one, the curses and threats stopped. Silence emanated from the Hollander once again and the sailors turned slowly towards the captain‘s cabin door.

„Oh unfortunate, why did you kill my crew?“ a voice bellowed from the ghost ship. „May you join the ranks of the damned and replace my good man.“

The sailor who had shot, screamed. He pressed his hands against his eyes, a sticky, black liquid running down between his fingers. Dom held Matt‘s head pressed against his shoulders, his own face buried in the merman‘s black hair. He didn‘t want to witness the mummification process again.

Horrified screams were heard and someone stumbled over Dom‘s feet, but he didn‘t look up until he heard a faint splash. Hesitantly, Dom lifted his head, running his hands over Matthew‘s shaking form. Retching came from next to Dom, and he turned his head just in time to see Boudewijn vomiting.

Matt squirmed in his arms and emitted a soft, „Eeeeuw.“

Dom smiled. So Matt wasn‘t completely back to his introverted and shy self.

„No-one,“ Amanda‘s voice drowned out the moans and mumbling of the Black Swan‘s crew, „and I repeat, _no fucking one_ , makes any advances on the Hollander‘s crew unless I give the _explicit_ order to do so! Understood?“

Affirmative mumbling was heard and Amanda nodded. She walked over to the rail and waited, observing the new crew member of the Vliegende Hollander climbing aboard. When he was on deck, the door to the captain‘s cabin opened and a tall man stepped out.

Dom pushed himself and Matt into a standing position again. The captain was a tall man; bulky, pale and dressed in black and red. His black hair was messy and covered in seaweed.

„A woman in charge and a merman aboard,“ the captain shouted. „You sure have an intriguing crew.“

„What do you want?“ Amanda shouted back. She climbed onto the rail and stood there, wobbling a bit while finding her balance.

„Why don‘t you deliver our letters?!“ howled the captain.

„They are meant for dead people, we could never deliver them,“ Amanda shouted.

„You could try at least,“ the captain bellowed back. He drew his sword and pointed it towards the Black Swan. At that gesture, his crew moved again, turning back towards the Black Swan.

„They‘re going to attack,“ Dom said and swallowed.

„And we can‘t kill them, because then we‘ll join their ranks,“ Cave added.

„We‘re going to die. We‘ll be damned,“ Boudewijn whimpered. He was rocking back and forth, head buried in his hands.

„Keep your men on your ship and let us go in peace,“ Amanda demanded.

„That‘s not what we do!“ the captain shouted back.

„So be it,“ Amanda answered and pushed herself off the rail, spreading her arms. Dom saw her mouthing words and a gust of wind arose and threw her high enough so that she landed aboard the Vliegende Hollander.

„What are you?“ the captain demanded and pointed his sword at Amanda.

Instead of answering, she pushed her hand with the wrapped up cross towards him. „Let there be _light_!“ she shouted.

All that Dom would remember of the following moments where the shrill screams of pain that finally gave way sighs to of relief, and the blinding light that erupted after Amanda‘s shout. When the afterimages of the light and the ringing in his ears had subsided, the ghost ship had vanished.

„Is it over?“ Tom asked.

„Looks like it,“ Alex offered. He clutched his forehead and shook his head.

„But where‘s Miss Palmer?“ Wolstenholme asked.

„Amanda?“ Dom hoisted Matt up and ran towards the rail, almost falling over when the armful of merman prevented him from seeing it in time. Matt shrieked and clung to Dom‘s shoulder, but lifted his head to stare at the sea.

„Don‘t tell me she‘s vanished, too!“ Alex shouted, running up and down the railing and searching for her in the dark water. „Miss Palmer!“

„Shh, I heard something,“ Dom hissed. He stared into the direction from where he thought he’d heard soft splashing.

„It‘s her!“ Matt shouted and pointed into the direction. „Palmer!“

He wiggled free from Dom‘s hold and jumped down, cursing when he hit the water hard. He usually never jumped directly from the rail, but tonight he had to survive the pain. He swam towards Amanda and pulled her towards their ship.

„Thanks,“ she wheezed. „Swimming with all my skirts and corset is a bit difficult.“

„Then be silent and let me drag you to the Black Swan.“

She chuckled and coughed. „That‘s the second time in two weeks that I’ve saved your scaly ass.“

„Do you expect me to hug you and sing my everlasting gratitude to you?“

„A short _thanks_ would be enough already.“

Matt sighed. She was right, and he hadn‘t even thanked her for helping to save him from the pirates yet. „Well, thanks,“ he mumbled. „For, you know, today and last week.“

Two arms encircled his torso and lush lips were pressed against his cheek. „Welcome, darling. And thanks for coming to save me from drowning.“

Are you snogging?!“

„No!“ Matthew shouted and pushed the laughing Amanda away from him.

 

 

An hour later, the crew had picked up their normal night activities again and Amanda had been tended to. The crew had almost battled over being allowed to take care of the freezing woman, offering their blankets and fighting over who was to heat up water for a warm bath. After the hullabaloo had ceased, Dom and Matt retreated to the kitchen bathtub.

They were soaking in the warm water when Alex entered again.

„So we got away once again,“ he sighed and fell onto the chair next to the bathtub.

Dom nodded.

„And how‘s our fish?“ Alex enquired. He leant forward and smiled at Matt, ruffling the black hair. Alex moved his hand to gently tip Matt‘s chin up and towards him. He was offered a small smile. „Still shaken?“

Matthew nodded. „Dead people should stay dead and not come back and haunt the living,“ he said.

Alex nodded and reclined against the backrest. „Sooo,“ he drawled and looked at Dom. „Let‘s talk about something different. The crest on your amulet, what did it mean?“

Dom swallowed. He had hoped the brief interaction earlier on would go unnoticed, but trust Alex to be far too perceptive. „Why?“

„Miss Palmer recognised it. It seems to be important, so what does it mean?“ Alex leant forward again. „Who are you?“

Dom swallowed again and looked at Matt. The merman shrugged and jerked his head into Alex‘s direction. „We talked about this, you know my opinion,“ he said. „Still, it‘s entirely your decision.“

Sighing, Dom pressed his palms against his eyes. Matthew was right, but it didn‘t make it any easier admitting to your best friend that you had lied to him about your identity. Dom looked back at Alex, who frowned.

„Forget about it if it‘s something better kept secret.“

Dom shook his head. „No, I think you should know. Promise not to tell anyone else?“

„You know I don‘t gossip about important or personal stuff.“

„I…“ Dom started, but fell silent again. He cleared his throat. „Only Matthew, Amanda and the Captain know.“

 

_  
Adri looked at her uncles and Amanda with wide eyes. „That‘s scary.“_

_„It was terrifying,“ Matthew admitted and shuddered. Adri turned on his lap and hugged him._

_„What happened to the captain and the crew?“ she asked after a while, her arms still around Matthew. „Are they still damned?“_

_Amanda shook her head. „Not the crew, they‘re free and saved.“_

_„And the captain?“_

_„There‘s nothing that could possibly save him but the Apocalypse itself.“_

_„Poor man,“ Adri whispered._

_Matthew smiled and pressed a kiss to her hair. She shifted and cocked her head at Amanda._

_„You can‘t die?“_

_„Oh, I can,“ Amanda laughed. „Just not as easily as you.“_

_„How old are you?“_

_„That‘s not something you should ask a lady,“ Amanda retorted coquettishly._

_„I don‘t think a lady fights pirates and ghost ships, nor does she do magic,“ Adri answered unperturbed. She crossed her arms and pouted. Dom sniggered, this show reminding him too much of a certain fish._

_„Fair point,“ Amanda admitted. „I‘m 145 years old.“_

_Adri gaped at her. „Wow,“ she finally pressed out. „You must have seen a lot!“_

_„You can bet on that.“_

_„And do you still see new things? Or does it get boring after a while?“_

_Amanda looked at Dominic and Matthew and smiled before answering, „Sometimes. But you always see things or meet people that make it all worth it.“  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the title again, it‘s of course from Wagner‘s opera Der Fliegende Holländer. (Did you meet the ship at sea, blood-red the sails, black the mast?)
> 
> The Shanty Boudewijn recites is taken from here: <http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/shanty/westzuid.htm>  
>  West Zuid West van Ameland  
>  Let‘s see if I can do a quick translation:  
>  When I came from Surinam recently  
>  I saw a ship and I thought it hung on the clouds,  
>  But it actually sat (Lots of things sit in Dutch. :P ) on the cliffs


	7. It‘s Oh so Quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Fish dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, here it is: Like Foam on the Ocean Seven. Holy Cow. And it was only planned as a one off… Anyways, I hope you‘ll enjoy, because this has a scene I was dying to write since a while. Hope I did it justice.
> 
> Since I didn‘t find something fitting text-wise, I‘ll have to go for something musical that kinda fits. :P Cheers to Björk.
> 
>  **Thanks:** To my minty Aero. No really, your words still make me go all squeeeeeeee
> 
>  **Beta:** Mighty Minty Aero Mine

_Adri ran onto the terrace, expecting to meet her uncles and their guest. She wanted to hear so much more from the mysterious woman and the stories she knew. Someone as old as Amanda had surely seen a lot of interesting things that Adri could only dream of. And she wanted hear about them all._

_She only found her uncles lounging in their accustomed spot on the terrace, though. "Where‘s Amanda?"_

_"She‘s gone," Matthew answered. He leant forward and opened his arms to his grandniece._

_Pouting, Adri crawled onto his lap. "Without saying goodbye?"_

_"She does that from time to time," Dom explained. He ruffled Adri's hair and smiled. "Only means she‘ll be back eventually."_

_"It‘s rude nevertheless," Adri insisted._

_Dom shrugged. "It‘s just how she is. Don‘t take it personally."_

_"She left before you could finish telling me all about your first journey, too!" Adri exclaimed, not willing to forgive Amanda just yet._

_"If that's all you're worried about," Matthew laughed. "We can tell you, instead. You'll love it."  
_

 

Days had passed since the Black Swan had encountered the Vliegende Hollander. The crew was still tense, longing for solid ground beneath their feet. Even Boudewijn was calm and didn't complain about food, nor fish as crew members. However, he was pacing the deck restlessly as if trying to find something, glaring at Dom from time to time.

"You looking for something?" Dom asked, when once again Boudewijn was pacing the deck and ended up staring at the sailor.

"Have you taken my knife?" Boudewijn snarled.

Dom frowned. "No, why should I? I've got a rapier. And if I needed a knife, I'd ask Alex."

Boudewijn snorted and turned to walk below deck. Dom shook his head and walked over to the rail, looking for Matt. It was almost noon, so the merman was expected to return soon.

"What are you looking at?" a familiar voice called up to Dom. He turned his head to find Matthew swimming next to the hull, a net with fish in one of his hands.

"I was just wondering when you would return," Dom called down.

Matt giggled. "Psychic you. Let down the yawl, so I can come aboard."

Dom saluted and ran over to the boat they usually used to pull Matthew aboard and gestured for another sailor to help him. Together, they pulled Matthew up and carried both merman and the caught fish to the caboose.

"You were busy today," Alex grinned and perused Matthew’s catch. He had never seen so many strange and unfamiliar fish in his life as in the months he’d been getting them from Matt. It made him wonder what life under the sea might have in store and what wonders were hidden for humankind to never see.

"Found a few swarms," Matt answered as he reclined in his bathtub. "They made it easy for me today."

"When are we due in Rooi Els?” Dom asked, and sunk down on his chair next to Matt's tub. The merman reached out to pull Dom's head towards him and stole a kiss.

"Tomorrow, if everything goes according to plan," Alex answered. He glanced at the door to check if it was closed and no-one would eavesdrop. "Are you going to contact your father about the lost amulet?"

Dom shrugged. "I don't know. I almost think it'd be faster if we waited until we're home again."

"I don't think he'll be too pleased," Alex wondered.

Dom sighed and shook his head. He had told Alex about his origins, hoping he'd done the right thing by trusting his friend with this detail. But Alex had remained silent with his secret so far, obviously not tempted to reveal it to anyone else, nor changing his behaviour towards Dom. Dominic realised that above all, it had been the latter he'd been afraid of; the idea of losing the person who had grown to be his best friend. Matthew had been right in the end, telling Alex had lifted some weight off Dom’s shoulders. He leant his head against Matt's, scratching through the dark hair.

Suddenly, a noise sounded that would have pierced their bones if it hadn’t been muffled by layers of wood and rooms in between.

"Fucking siren half blood!" Matt screamed. "I should have drowned him when I had the chance!"

Dom straightened and dashed towards the door, turning in the frame and glaring at Alex. "You stay with Matthew."

Alex saluted and grabbed a long and slender knife, sharpening it demonstratively.

Dom dashed over deck and arrived just in time to see Cave and Blixa pushing towards one of the yawls. Cave had Boudewijn held fast and a knife pressed against the merchant's throat. _At least the merchant had found his knife_ , Dom thought.

Another scream sent him stumbling to the planks. He raised his head to watch the two pirates climb into the yawl and Cave pushed Boudewijn to the floor planks and cut the ropes of the boat, sending it crashing into the water.

"Follow us and my first mate will kill your ears," Cave shouted.

"Follow them!" Boudewijn shouted, but the Captain shook his head.

"Waste of resources. They can't possibly survive like this on their own."

"And what about this Palmer witch? She should stop them!"

"Are you always this rude?" Amanda asked. She had just emerged from the door to the guest cabins and was pulling at a few cords of her skirt, knotting them together. "Just for your information, I was taking a bath and needed to squeeze into my clothes when this hullabaloo started."

Boudewijn huffed and pushed past her towards his cabin.

"Well, that's it then, no pirates to be hung in London," Tom sighed.

"At least two eaters less," another sailor shrugged.

Dom turned and made to walk back to the caboose to tell Matt and Alex, but Amanda's voice stopped him.

"Can I have a word with you, Dominic?"

Dom nodded and followed her to her cabin, wondering what she wanted to talk about.

Amanda sat down on her bed and motioned for Dom to take the chair. She smiled. "Wanted to talk to you for a while now," she started. "And since I'm going to depart soon, I better not wait any longer."

"You're departing soon?" Dom asked. "You have booked a few more weeks on the Black Swan still."

Amanda shook her head. "I'm getting restless again. In Rooi Els I'll leave you."

Dom hummed. He had grown to see Amanda as a friend over the past weeks and if she left them now, chances were they'd never meet again.

"I'm sure we'll meet again before long," Amanda said as if guessing Dom's thoughts. "I need to check on you and the fish after all." She rummaged in the little pocket on her waist and produced two strings of leather, each one holding a tiny pocket made of leather. She held her hand out and Dom took the necklaces perusing them and looking up at Amanda again, quizzically.

"I can give you an opportunity, the chance to be truly together, even if only for a while, but you've got to decide," she continued and took the necklaces back from Dom, one in each hand. She raised the leather string with the dark blue pocket. "This can turn you into a merman for 24 hours," she explained and raised the leather sting with the dark brown pocket. "And this can turn Matthew into a human for 24 hours."

Dom nodded. He stretched his hand out to the blue pendant, but Amanda pulled back.

"I'm not done explaining. I can give you one, and just one of them, and you've got to decide now."

Dom nodded again and frowned. How could he possibly decide? He knew both of them wanted to follow the other, both of them wanted to get to know the other's world.

"That's not all yet," Amanda continued her explanations. "The transformation will cause pain. Just imagine, your whole body is to be changed and transformed. Legs growing together or being torn apart, lungs changing and gills growing or ceasing, this can't be done without pain. Furthermore, there's no way to ease the pain with drugs."

"That's making the whole thing look a great deal less attractive," Dom growled.

Amanda shrugged. "A wise man once said: No true love without pain and suffering.*"

"Oh, really? Why?" Dom retorted.

"How would you know it‘s true love without?"

"Another wise man once told a story about a man with many friends and compared him to a man with a bag full of gems and pearls. This man was the richest and luckiest in the world as long as he didn‘t open the bag to prove the genuineness of the gems.**"

"You don‘t want to test the strength of your love?"

"I don't need to," Dom answered. "I will take the amulet."

"Matthew would want it, too," Amanda pointed out, but nevertheless held the blue amulet out to Dom.

He took it and rested it on his palm. "But he's not here to decide or argue with me, and I won't subject him to the pain. How do I use it?"

"You want to turn into a being of water?" Amanda asked and continued without waiting for the obvious answer. "Thus the stone inside the pocket needs to come into contact with your wet skin. That's why it's in a pocket, too, we don't want you to randomly become a merman when it's raining or when you're sweating, do we?"

Dom shook his head. "What do you want in return? Those things have always some hidden catch."

"The hidden catch," Amanda drawled. "Well, you feel the pain with every transformation, you have to decide if you or your true love gets the amulet, oh, and I almost forgot to tell you, once around your neck, you will never be able to take it off again."

"Nothing else?"

"Dominic, we're friends, I wouldn't offer you this opportunity if there was more to it than what I told you. I don't deceive my friends and it's my way of saying thank you."

"What for?" he asked.

"For showing me romance," Amanda smiled. "It‘s been a while since I saw it as pure as yours."

Dominic blushed and lifted the necklace to eye level again. "Thanks, I guess." He tightened his hand around the little amulet and rose from the chair.

Just then, someone knocked and Amanda called him in. The door opened to reveal Alex, grinning broadly. He cocked his head when he saw Dom standing in the middle of the cabin.

"Didn't I ask you to stay with Matthew?" Dom asked instead of a greeting.

Alex shrugged. "I saw those pirates fall past the porthole, so I figured it's safe to go on with my daily business."

Dom nodded and walked towards the door. "I guess I'm off to talk to Matthew."

"What were you doing here anyway?"

"Will tell you later," Dom murmured and left, making his way to the caboose.

He found Matthew sitting in his bathtub and trying to reach for a spoon on the table.

"What do you want to do with a spoon?" Dom asked and handed the item to Matt.

The merman shrugged. "I was bored, so I thought I'd try and make some music." He hit the spoon against the outside of his tub. "Where have you been? I saw Cave and that bloody siren ape tumbling down in a yawl and expected you to come running back to us."

"Amanda wanted to talk to me," Dom answered. He wondered how to tell Matt about the necklace.

The merman lifted an eyebrow. "Did she?"

Dom nodded.

"What did she want to talk about?"

"Some kind of offer," Dom started. Matt frowned and waved with the spoon for Dom to continue. "A possibility for one of us turning into well… the other's species. Temporarily."

Matt shifted, causing some water to splash over the rim. "I can be human?"

Dom shook his head. "I had to decide who could turn, and…"

"You chose to be a merman," Matt stated. "Without asking me."

"Well, there are a few things connected to this transformation," Dom explained. "Apparently, the transformation is quite painful, with your body changing this drastically."

Matt nodded, mutedly.

"I had to decide right then and there, and I won't subject you to the pain."

"Maybe I'd be willing to take it."

"But I won't let you to take it, when there's another way," Dom argued back. "And if you don't want me to follow you for a day, I can give the amulet back."

"Just a day?"

"Each time, yes." Dom lifted the hand with the necklace and showed it to Matt. "Once I decide to wear it, I won't be able to ever take it off again."

Matt sighed and rubbed his face, disappearing under water for a moment. "Do you really want to do this?" he asked after surfacing again.

Dom nodded.

"How does it work?"

"Apparently, there's an amulet in the pocket and it needs to connect with my wet skin."

Humming, Matt raised his hand to Dom's, gingerly taking the necklace. He looked at it, not opening the pocket just yet and then lifted it by the two ends of the leather strip. "Can I?"

Dom nodded and bent down, dipping his head to allow Matt to knot it around his neck. He felt the knot resting against his skin melting until the whole strip was just one circular piece.

"You're not to test it without at least Alex being present."

Dom nodded.

"And you'll do it here, with me, in the bathtub."

"Why in the bathtub?"

"Because you're going to grow gills. They need water or they’ll dry up," Matt explained. "And if you're in pain, you'll need someone to hold onto."

Dom opened his mouth to at least object against the holding onto part, knowing that Matt would get bruised, but the merman just shook his head.

"We're not going to argue about this, so don't even try," he growled. "Now get naked and into the tub until the smutje returns."

 

 

When Alex returned to the caboose, the couple was sitting together in the bathtub, Matthew on Dom's lap, tail fin hanging idly over the rim. Alex grinned at the cosy couple and closed the door behind him. He sat down on the chair next to the bathtub and peered into the water.

"Miss Palmer told me about the amulet. I'm astonished you haven’t used it yet," he said.

Matt leant his head on Dom's shoulder and rolled it sideways to look at Alex. "We were waiting for you," he explained. "Dom's not going to do the first transformation if there's only me around. I'm far too restricted."

"Understandably." Alex bent down and pressed a kiss on the top of Matt's head and ruffled a hand through Dom's hair.

"So, when do you plan to try it and where?"

"Here and now?" Dom answered.

"Fine by me," Alex answered.

Dom nodded and raised his fingers to where he felt the pressure of the necklace. Matt twisted around, his tail now resting next to Dom's legs. He pressed a chaste kiss on Dom's lips and leant back again.

Swallowing, Dom lifted the little pocket and undid the knot on it to reveal a bright blue, translucent stone. Matt's hand closed around it, before Dom could let it drop to his chest.

"I love you," he whispered.

Dom smiled and craned his neck to press his lips against Matt's. "Love you, too."

Matt smiled and nodded, opening his hand again. Swallowing again, Dom let the leather strip slip from his fingers and hit his chest. He felt something hot searing through his body, radiating from the little stone. His legs twitched and jerked together, the skin prickling before something seemed to rip the skin open and his feet lost all their substance.

He threw his head back, screaming, hands scrambling for something to grip. He closed his fingers tightly around something soft, only barely registering a pained hiss. He could feel every bone in his legs moving and pushing through sinew and muscle, somehow changing form. His head fell forward and hit something. He opened his mouth to bite down, the shrill scream next to his ear only bringing him halfway back to reality.

The pain in his legs subsided, but in its place something happened in Dom's chest and throat. His lungs burned and the skin on his neck ripped open, something strange pushing it's way through. Dom rattled, feeling like he was being suffocated. Someone tried to push him underwater and Dom struggled, panicked. He heard a familiar voice shouting something and suddenly four hands were pushing him down.

Liquid poured into the slits on Dom's throat and the feeling of asphyxiation disappeared. He lay and panted, feeling oxygen filling through his lungs and what he now realised were gills. He shook his head and relaxed his fingers, only now registering that he had held onto Matthew's arm, a bruise already appearing on the pale skin.

"Oh God, Matthew," he murmured and raised his eyes, just enough to see the bite marks on Matt's shoulder. "I'm sorry." He extended his hand to touch the merman's shoulder, following the indents of his teeth with a finger.

Matthew shook his head. "Nevermind, how're you feeling?"

"Faint," Dom offered and smiled weakly. "How do I look?"

Matt glanced down. "You seem to have a grey tail," he said. "Can't see it too well, though."

Dom followed Matt‘s eyes and swallowed when he saw the red water. "That's…"

"Your blood, yes," Alex said. "You had us quite worried there."

"It hurt," Dom whispered. "I could feel the scales pushing through my skin and my bones shifting."

"And you'll have to go through the reversal tomorrow again," Alex pointed out.

Dom groaned. "Don't remind me of that, please."

"Well, for now, you're a pretty fish, bonnie," Alex drawled. "But maybe we should get you out of this water."

"You still owe me a dance," Matthew pointed out. "Let's move to the ocean." He shifted and Dom felt scales sliding against scales and shivered.

He nodded. "Someone has to carry us, though."

Matt sniggered and turned to grin at the sighing chef.

 

 

It took them about an hour of explaining what had happened to a curious crew until the yawl was down and Dom could dive into the ocean. He slid into the water and gingerly swam on the surface, not daring to dive just yet. He could hear shouts and whistles coming from above.

He glanced up, thinking about a witty retort to the mocking, when he felt two hands grab his hips and drag him down. Dom panicked when water filled his nose, hitting at Matthew to let him go. He opened his mouth and tried to gasp air into his lungs, but the only thing he succeeded in was gulping water down. He shook his head and looked up towards the water’s surface. Deciding to follow his impulse, Dom pushed his arms up and swam upwards.

He never made it to the surface because Matt reached out for him again. The merman grabbed Dom‘s head and pulled him in for a kiss. Dom trashed his fists against Matthew‘s chest, but the merman ignored him. After a few moments, Matthew let go of Dom‘s hair and ran his fingers over Dom‘s throat, tracing the gill caps.

Dom closed his eyes and concentrated on Matt‘s fingers, feeling how he still could breathe without having to resort to nose, nor mouth. It felt strange, but calming.

Matthew broke the kiss and smiled at Dom. „Better?“

Dom nodded. He didn‘t answer. Just because he could breathe underwater, didn‘t mean he had to open his mouth and swallow even more of the salty liquid. Heaven knew what swam around in these regions. And hell knew what it left behind. Dom shuddered.

Matt pouted and poked Dom‘s ribs. „What‘s wrong? Did a hatchetfish steal your tongue?“

Dom gasped. „I don‘t want to swallow too much water,“ he said. „How can you even talk underwater?“ He squinted down, observing the stream of water the flowed from his lips. However, it worked; talking wasn‘t as unpleasant as he had expected. Still, better not think what might be have been swimming around here.

Matt shrugged and swam an excited circle around Dom, who wobbled experimentally with his fishtail. „And grey? Why do I have a grey tail?“

„Because your eyes are grey,“ Matt answered, sniggering.

„Oh…“

„But your tail fins are so pretty. Like a veiltail‘s fin,“ purred Matt. He swam excitedly around Dom. „I want to see your mating pattern.“

Dom swallowed. „How do I do that?“

Matthew stilled in front of Dominic, smirking. He waved his tail in a graceful movement, the familiar, white patterns appearing slowly. „Just let me do that for you.“

Dom swallowed, feeling a pleasant tingling in his tail. „What?“

Matt chuckled lowly and let himself sink lower. He extended his hands and gently touched the grey scales on Dom‘s tails, fluttering his fingers upwards again. He leant in and poked his tongue into Dom‘s navel, swirling it teasingly, before swimming slowly upwards, stroking his hands and tongue over Dom‘s torso.

He finally reached Dom‘s throat and licked slowly along the gill caps there, his hands reaching for Dom‘s. Matt leant back and smiled, starting a spiral downwards.

„Rub your tail against mine,“ he purred into Dom‘s ear and pressed his tail fin further against the blond’s.

Dom nodded and did as he was told, pushing closer and twisting his tail fin around Matthew's. He decided he had done something right, judging by the way Matt bent back. Dom stared at the exposed throat, watched it moving back until it gave way to a pale chest with the familiar scar. Eventually, the blue-white tail appeared in Dom's vision and the soft skin of a tail fin was dragged over Dom's chest.

Matt finished his somersault and continued in a tight circle around Dom. He stopped in front of Dom and grabbed his head to crash their mouths together. Dom felt them sinking lower and spinning, tongues entangled in a lazy rhythm that slowly grew more insistent. It dawned on him that he could go on kissing like this forever, not needing to break the kiss for breath, thanks to his gills.

Nevertheless, they broke the kiss after a while and Dom glanced down to discover bright orange lines running in waves around his tail. Matthew purred and sunk down to slowly shift higher again, brushing his chest against Dom's tail.

Smirking, Dom moved and swam around Matt, stopping behind him and encircling Matt's waist. He pulled the other merman closer until their bodies rested against each other; chest against back and tail against tail.

"Are there any rules to dancing?" Dom whispered into Matt's ear.

Matt shook his head and leant his head back, smiling. "No. You just do your best to seduce your partner. Make them feel wanted."

"That should be one of the easiest tasks," Dom answered and nibbled on Matthew's ear. "You're already horny again."

Matt sniggered. "Can't help it, you look too gorgeous like this."

Dom let himself fall back, pulling them into a lying position and slowly spiralled through the water. He could see light filtering through to them from above, the sun visible as a big point of light, always just above him. "Do you like my mating pattern?"

Matt shifted in Dom's arms, his hands coming to rest on the small of Dom's back. He nodded. "It's beautiful." He wiggled his tail and Dom felt a familiar burn rise in his stomach. He reciprocated the gesture, causing Matthew to arch his back and pull them into a head-down position. He smirked at Dom and pulled him in just a bit tighter. "Ever come head-down?" he asked.

Dominic swallowed and shook his head. He felt Matthew's tail curling around his and returned the movement without thought, his tail fin spreading and brushing against Matt's battered back fin. He closed the gap between their mouths again, nibbling on Matthew's lower lip and eventually pushed his tongue between Matt's lips. Their tongues tangled around each other, copying the movements of their tails while they sunk lower and lower, the light fading slowly.

They tensed and drifted in the current, content and spent in each other's arms.

"We should surface and check where the Black Swan is," Matt spoke after a while.

Dom nodded.

"We can come back down again afterwards," Matt continued, sensing Dom's reluctance to return so soon. "We just need to check from time to time or we'll never find them again."

Dom glanced around, only now realising that they were surrounded by water, water, the odd fish and more water. "How do you ever find your way back to the ship?"

Matthew chuckled and seized Dom's hand, pulling him further towards the surface again. "You develop a sense of direction if you grow up in an environment like this."

"And you really know where to go?" Dom asked unbelievingly.

"Of course, I always found my way back to the Black Swan, didn't I?"

Dom nodded. He had to admit, he was impressed. Left on his own, he would never survive in an environment such as this.

They swam through a school of fish, the little animals gaping at the couple and parting, fleeing when Matt poked at them. He sniggered. "They're afraid I might eat them."

Dom shuddered. "I don't even want to imagine eating raw _fish_ and underwater even."

"You still don't like fish, do you?"

"I only like _my_ fish," Dom proclaimed. "And I'd never eat him."

Matt stopped and smiled, pulled Dom closer to him and pressed his lips against the tip of Dom's nose. "We should catch some fish, though. Just because we've been dancing and mating, doesn't mean the crew should starve."

"Yeah…" Dom drawled. He turned to glance at the fish that had formed another school behind them. "I'll doubt I'll be of much help, though."

Matt laughed and pulled him further towards the surface. "You can always hold the net, gives me more freedom to move."

"I'm so useless," Dom muttered.

"Don't be stupid, you're far less useless here than I am on land."

"Yes," Dom admitted, "but you move so… I don't know…" He trailed off and blushed.

"What?" Matt turned and glanced at his tail, swaying in the current. "Something wrong with the way I move?"

Dom shook his head. "Not at all. It's…" he gesticulated weakly. "Graceful," he finally said. "You're a thing of beauty above the water, but here, you're so…well, _graceful_." Dom bit his lip to stop more nonsense from falling from his mouth and stared at his own tail fin. He was sure he lacked the easy grace Matthew possessed, even on land, Dom could never dream of being this elegant. Once again, he wondered if Matthew was just a very fine specimen or if mermen in general were generally captivating creatures.

"Can we meet friends of yours?" Dom asked.

Matthew shook his head without turning to Dom, still leading their way up. "No, sorry. I don‘t think we could."

"So I am to show you off, but you hide me away?" Dom asked, half in jest. He didn't expect Matthew to take this question seriously at all. That was why he bumped against the merman when Matt suddenly stopped dead.

"I‘m sorry, it‘s not that I want to hide you away…" Matt started and stared down.

Dom swam in front of Matt, gently pushing his face up. "But?"

"They don‘t understand," Matt answered. "I told you, merhumans mate and that's it with being close to other merhumans. Believe me, if I had friends I would show you off. You‘d already know them."

Dom stared down, not knowing how to answer that. It pained him to imagine Matthew all on his own in the vast ocean. He wasn't aware of the merman moving until two arms were wrapped around him and Dom was pulled flush against Matt.

"Don‘t be sad," he said and pecked Dom's lips. "I‘ve got you and Alex and the crew. I‘m a very fortunate merman." He leant back and gazed expectantly at Dom. Dom nodded, Matthew‘s broad smile his answer. "Now let's get back to the Black Swan, catch their food and then dance some more. And I want to go and search for sea shells and shipwrecks with you."

"Is this a rendezvous?"

"Yep," Matthew laughed.

 

_  
"So that's where you got this necklace from," Adri said. "I had always wondered why you're never seen without it."_

_Dominic smiled. "You could have asked."_

_"Nah, I wanted to wait for you to tell me more stories," she grinned. "It's more exciting this way."_

_Matthew laughed and pressed a kiss into her hair. "You already know how to experience the thrills of life to the utmost!"_

_Adri giggled and nodded. She turned to Matthew and cocked her head. "But why…?"_

_"That's a story for another time," Dominic interrupted her._

_Adri turned to her uncle and pouted, about to complain when Matthew laughed lightly._

_"What about keeping it exciting?"_

_"But…"_

_"No buts," Matthew answered. "It's a long story and your mother will be here to take you to bed any minute now. I will tell you tomorrow."_

_"Promise?"_

_Matthew nodded. "I promise. You'll love it."  
_

 

______________________________________  
* Don‘t ask me who, I made it up.  
** That was Kurt Tucholski.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you know to which sole purpose I introduced a magician.  
> And yes, I did a PTerry here with the footnotes. Couldn't resist. XD


	8. Captain, where are we going now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet Jealousy and Unrequited Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you might have read on twitter before. I think this one is coming to an end. It makes me sad, but I realised I don‘t have good ideas for plots at the moment and where I‘m heading now isn‘t too bad a Grand Final. But maybe it‘s just gonna be a hiatus or something. Because I love this story‘s cast too much. Seriously, must be my most-loved cast in any story of mine so far. And I didn‘t plan on bidding them goodbye this fast. *sniffle*
> 
> Anyways, on we go with the actual story. Yay!  
>  This chapter‘s name is a song by Jason Webley.
> 
> **Beta:** Aero, Mighty Minty Mine: Chants  
> 

_Adri and Matthew sat on the beach, looking over the sea and observing the seagulls. Adri spotted one of the birds diving down only to fly into the sky again, a fish in its beak._

_"You wanted to tell me a story," she said, and held out her hand._

_Matthew smiled and took the offered shell. "Are you trying to bribe me with a pretty shell?"_

_"If it helps."_

_Matthew laughed and patted his lap. "Come on then."_

_Grinning broadly, Adri climbed onto the wheelchair and rested her back against Matthew's chest, her head leaning against his shoulder._

_"I'm all ears," she announced, after Matthew had wrapped his arms around his grand-niece.  
_

 

It was nice, sitting in the wheelchair, wrapped in moist blankets and flipping through books. Matthew had missed the library and its serenity. He had also missed the librarian who was always more than happy to read to Matthew. Sometimes, Dom's mother would drop by too, and they would chat over a cup of tea.

Matthew looked up from the children's book he was trying to read and pressed two fingers against his eyelids. Reading was hard and he was happy if he could decipher a word, let alone a whole sentence.

He leant his head back and stared at the ceiling. The Black Swan had reached its home port a few days ago and the crew had about two weeks off while new orders and goods came in.

Matt heard the door to the library open and turned his head, smiling at Queen Adrienne.

"Matthew," she greeted him. "Why is it no surprise that I meet you here?"

"Dominic's at the market, so I have to entertain myself," Matt answered.

"I'm still not sure about Dominic mingling with the commoners. What if someone recognises him?"

"He'll be fine. Dominic has been to a few markets before and he wanted to meet up with Alex, too."

The Queen nodded and sat down on one of the chairs at the small table. "I'm just worrying. I've never been to a market like this."

"Me neither," Matt answered. He looked down at his book, staring at the written lines that still refused to share their meaning with him.

Adrienne sighed. "How's the reading coming along?"

"Not well," Matt answered, "By the time I have deciphered one word, I have almost forgotten the previous words."

"It takes some practise," Adrienne said. "You'll get there eventually, son."

Matt nodded.

 

 

Matthew wheeled into the dining room and towards the chairless place at the table. He observed the servants buzzing and setting up the table.

Life in the castle was lonely. Sure, he had Dominic, the librarian, Dominic's mother and sister; he was even kind of getting along with the King, but he missed the crew. Someone was always around to talk to and joke with on the Black Swan.

Matt's eyes followed one of the servants. Here he was treated with utmost respect, people rushing to fulfil whatever he asked for and bowing a lot and calling him _Sir_. Matt was sure he wasn't a 'sir'. He had asked one of the servants to jump around his wheelchair the previous day, expecting to be told to 'fuck off and stop keeping people from doing their work'. Instead, the servant had done as he had been asked. It only had served to make Matt more depressed by the people surrounding him.

He turned his head when the door opened, hoping it would be Dom who had just arrived. He smiled broadly when he actually saw the blond prince.

Dom was still wearing a simple linen shirt, much to the dismay of his father. The King had tried to talk Dom into wearing something appropriate for a prince, but Dom refused. He had dressed in a silken robe and tights for all of five minutes before he had decided that the clothes were far too uncomfortable.

Dom's father also hadn't approved of his son's earrings and the simple necklace. When Dom had admitted that the old family seal was gone, Matthew had thought the old man was suffering a heart attack. The King had gone red for a few seconds before all colour had fled his face, leaving an old, ashen man staring back at the couple.

Dom had briefly described the events that had led to the loss of the amulet. After that, the King hadn't said anything about the matter again.

"How was your day, gorgeous?" Dom asked, after kissing Matt.

"I practised reading and had a nice chat with Adrienne," Matt answered. "How was yours?"

"It was good. I wish you could have come along, you would have loved the market."

Matt nodded. "Maybe we can wrap me in a cloak and hide my tail and fins and you can wheel me through the market some day?"

"We could try, but you'd dry up too fast," Dom answered, sighing. "Oh, and best regards from Alex. He misses you. Says the caboose is too empty without an annoying fish."

"He could always come and see me here," Matt pouted.

"I told him you'd say that, but he doesn't like the idea of being in a palace. Says he'd feel out of place."

Matt nodded. "I do understand him."

Dom sat down at the chair next to the merman and sighed. "I know. It feels so strange after the sea, like we don't really belong here any more."

Matt smiled and leant over to Dom, brushing their lips together, his fingers tangling in the soft, blond hair. "I didn't know you felt the same."

"Should we wait outside?" a female voice came from the door.

Without letting go of Dom's hair, Matt and Dom broke apart and turned their heads towards the door. Dom's family had arrived; Arabella and Adrienne grinning at the couple whilst Dom's father shifted uneasily, trying to look anywhere but at them.

Dom shook his head. "No, no problem, please, don't leave on our account."

„Good, I'm hungry," Arabella said and walked to her chair.

A few moments later, the servants brought in the first course; a simple, rather grey looking fish stew. Dom sighed, while the rest of the room eyed their bowls cautiously.

Matt looked up and glanced at Dom. "Is this…?"

"You wanted fish stew, didn't you?" Dom retorted, grinning.

"What is this?" Dom's father asked, and slowly shoved his spoon into the stew.

Frowning, Matt poked one finger into his bowl and licked it clean. "This fish stew…" He turned to Dom, eyes narrowed.

"Yes?"

"Is Alex here?"

Dom sighed. "He was right, you _would_ notice."

"Of course I would," Matt retorted. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we had a bet," Alex answered from the servants' door, grinning smugly. "Unfortunately, Dom wouldn't allow me to kiss you, should I be right."

"Smutje!" Matt shouted and pushed himself from the table, wheeling around towards the chef.

"Fish!" Alex returned the greeting and hugged Matt.

"What happened? Did your local conquest chuck you out?"

"Yeah, both of them," Alex sighed. "First, they argued and clawed at each other and the next thing I know, they're ganging up on me and telling me that it's fine if I have other flings as long as they're in other cities, and that they don't want to see my face ever again."

Matthew laughed. "Told you it'd happen one day."

"It's not funny," Alex pouted and pushed Matt back to the table. "There's enough Alex for everyone." He looked up and noticed Arabella. "You never told me you had such a gorgeous sister, bonnie," he said to Dom.

"And there's a good reason I didn't," Dom answered.

"Who's that?" the King asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Alex purred, hurrying around the table and bowing to Arabella, "Alexander Kapranos, chef of the Black Swan."

"Arabella, Queen-to-be," she answered. "I take it you are the creator of this stew."

"Indeed I am. Is it pleasant to your palate?"

"I haven't tried it yet, I have to admit."

"Oh, please do, bonnie."

"Alex," Dom growled.

"I heard many things of you," Adrienne addressed Alex. "You seem like a most interesting person."

Alex turned, bowing towards the Queen. "Thank you, Ma'am. Although, I'm not quite sure if my friends here have told stories better unshared."

Adrienne just smiled and pointed towards an empty chair. "Please, do take a seat. Dominic's friends are always welcome."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Alex purred. He turned towards the King, bowing, before he walked to the indicated seat and sat down. He grinned at Dom.

"I guess you don't want to eat your stew?"

"It's mine," Matt announced before Dom could give an answer. He grinned at the human. "Isn't it?"

Dom sighed and pushed his bowl towards Matt. "Dig in."

"Thank you."

The meal went by with amiable small talk and stories of the sea being shared. Later, Matt reclined in his bathtub, reflecting on the evening and smiling. He heard gentle snoring from the next door, indicating that Dom had fallen asleep a while ago.

It had been nice to see his friend again. And it was even nicer knowing that Alex would be around the next day as well. At least it was someone who didn't take any bullshit because he was supposedly of lower status. Maybe he would ask Alex to jump around his wheelchair just for the inevitable comeback.

He turned his head, and gazing at the stars outside and listening to Dom's snores, he fell asleep.

 

 

The following morning found Matt, Dom and Alex running through the castle - or being shoved through the castle in Matt's case. Matt suspected that they were keeping Alex busy so he wouldn't get the idea to flirt with Dom's sister. He grinned to himself. Nothing could keep Alex from making advances when he had his mind set on someone.

They stopped by the small lake in the vast gardens to let Matt have a swim and to get his blankets moist again. Matt dived down, enjoying being able to be completely surrounded by water without having to bend awkwardly.

"Are you going to cook again today?" he asked, once he had surfaced again.

"I don't think the chef would appreciate me interfering with his kitchen again," Alex answered. He wrung out the blanket he had just dipped into the water. "He was quite appalled when I simply cut the fish into pieces and let them simmer without any care for," he straightened, staring ahead at a tree, one hand pressed against his heart, " _the aesthetics of pleasingly arranged ingredients_. I told him that food was pretty worthless if it looked like a dolled up, expensive whore, but couldn't deliver what it promised."

"And he didn't throw you out after that?" Dom asked.

"I think he may have been afraid of the knife I was wielding at that precise moment. I didn't dare let go of it after our dispute."

Matt laughed and dived again. He took his time, swimming through the small lake, looking at the fish. They were all about the same shape, but differed in size and colour. Matthew swam along a large white fish with bright orange and dark brown patches. The fish tried to escape, but found it impossible to flee from the curious merman. Chuckling, Matt followed the scared animal for a while before he decided to just let himself float. He closed his eyes, floating and almost drifting to sleep.

Something pricked his finger and Matt opened his eyes. The fish that he had been following was nipping curiously on his digits. Matt wiggled his finger and the fish swam away just to return after a few moments. They repeated this for a while until the fish allowed Matt to touch it.

Matt smiled and turned around to swim face to face with the fish, gently running his fingers over the scales on its side.

Something moved next to him and Matt turned his head to see a stone falling down. The fish jerked and swam away. Shaking his head, Matt surfaced just in time to see Alex bending down to pick up another stone and Dom kicking his friend, causing Alex to fall into the lake.

Laughing, Matt swam towards them, grabbing Alex and pulling him underwater for a moment.

"OI!" Alex shouted once he could gulp down air again. He turned and shoved Matt further into the lake.

"You scared my new friend away," Matt pouted and moved his tail, sending a wave of water towards his friend.

"A new friend? Should Dom be jealous?"

"Mhmm, maybe," Matt pondered, stroking his chin. "He's white with orange and really pretty."

"You cheeky piece of flotsam!" Dom shouted in mock outrage. "I take you to our beautiful pond and this is how you show your gratitude? I should cook you for lunch!"

"Except that you don't like fish," Alex chimed in.

Dom rolled his eyes and reached out for Matt. "Come on, I guess it's time we went back inside again."

Matt nodded and let himself be pulled out of the water and wrapped into the wet blankets. He looked down at his fins.

"I want to walk."

"I'm sorry, I…" Dom started, but Matt shook his head.

"I know, it's okay," Matt answered. He sighed. He did understand Dom's reasoning. He wouldn't have decided any differently given the choice. But still…

It didn't change much about feeling useless. Sitting in a wheelchair and depending on people to push him around and to help him into the bathtub and out of it. It was restricting. Matthew wasn't used to feeling restricted. He had grown up in the ocean without any sense of restriction, but with a fair sense of something truly endless.

"I love you, you know?" Dom whispered into Matt's ear.

Matt smiled and turned his head to Dom. He nodded.

"There you are!" Arabella shouted from the inside of the castle. She came running towards them, gathering her dress.

Alex grinned broadly. "Bonnie, what a pleasure to see you on this fine morning."

"No time for leisure and idle joking," she brushed his greeting aside. "Dominic, you need to go to the throne room. Sive just arrived."

Matt frowned at Arabella and turned his head to look at Dom. His lover was pale, his hands tightened around the handle of Matt's wheelchair. Dom swallowed.

"What does she want?"

"Take an educated guess," Arabella answered.

"Who's Sive?" Matt asked.

"But I cancelled the engagement," Dom whispered.

Matt blinked, almost not believing what he just had heard. "Engagement?" he repeated.

Finally, Dom turned his head to look at Matt. "Sive, she used to be my fiancée."

"What happened?" Matt asked, short-clipped.

"I met you," Dom answered.

"You had someone before me and you just broke it off?" Matthew stated. "You had chosen another mate?"

He felt sick. He tried to understand humans, but every time he thought he had gained a fair understanding, he learned something new. Matthew could understand Alex's changing partners; he was honest about them. The chef liked people, and he liked touching them and feeling good. Alex was simple and didn't make false promises.

But Dominic; he had promised Matthew that the merman was the only one, his one true love. So why had Dominic previously been engaged? Was it really that simple for Dominic to break with the one he was supposed to love?

Dom shook his head. "No, it was arranged. Political. She might have some kind of warped feelings towards me, but I can assure you, there's never been anything from my side."

Matt frowned. "You would have taken her as a mate without caring for her?"

Dom shrugged. "That's what comes with being the successor to a throne. You have to arrange a marriage that fits yours and your allies' intentions."

"That's cruel," Matt answered. He reached up to run a finger over Dom's cheek. Dom smiled and took his hand, pressing the protruding fingers against his lips.

"It would have been more cruel if I hadn't been able to call it off."

Arabella cleared her throat. "I don't want to disrupt your conversation, but I'm under the impression that Sive doesn't agree with you ending the engagement."

"Shit, I'll have to talk to her," Dom said and ran inside, leaving Matt alone with Alex and Arabella.

"What? You can't just leave me behind!" Matt shouted. He turned towards Alex, pointing after Dom. "Follow!"

Alex rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. "Anything for you, bonnie."

"Do you think it's a good idea to burst in on them?" Arabella asked.

"Most likely not," Alex answered. "But I'm afraid our fish here simply doesn't care."

„Exactly, so stop the small talk and speed up, smutje."

Sighing, Alex did has he was told, almost crashing into the closed doors of the throne room.

A female voice came shrilly through the doors.

"What do you mean, 'you've found someone you truly love?' What about us?"

Matt clenched his jaw and leant forward to push the doors open, grabbing the wheels of his chair and pushing himself through the small opening. Dom stood with his back to the door and didn't notice Matt pushing himself into the room.

"Sive, you know this whole marriage thing was arranged from our birth."

She shook her head, noticing the newcomers. She frowned and pointed at Matt. "What's that?"

Dom turned his head. "Matthew," he whispered. He turned back to Sive. "He's my partner."

"You're…" Sive turned to Dom, still pointing at Matt, "He's a…"

"He's a merman, yes," Dom answered. He walked to Matt and grabbed his hand, tangling their fingers together. "He's the one I love."

"He…" Sive said. "You left me for a _fish_?"

"Don't call me 'fish'!," Matthew hissed.

"But… you loved me," Sive sobbed.

Dom shook his head. "I never did, you know that, Sive. And I have never given you any indication that I would."

Sive lifted her hand, rubbing a patch of her red travelling cloak over her eyes. She let it fall down, staring at Dom and Matt with red-rimmed, swollen eyes, make-up smeared over her face and running down her cheeks in black lines.

"I will not accept being left for a fish!" she snarled. "You'll come back with me or I'll declare war on this country."

"Sive, grow up!" Dom exclaimed. "We have arranged everything for the end of the engagement and you have received and accepted an appropriate compensation."

"I accepted nothing!" she screamed. "It was my parents!"

"It was also our parents that set up the engagement before we could even decide on our own."

"I'm fed up with others deciding over my life," Sive snapped.

"So you decided to decide over others' lives," Matt snapped back. He clenched his fists, feeling the scales of his tail tingling. He glanced down, briefly, not surprised by their black colour.

"You destroyed my life!" she screamed.

"And now you want to destroy that of many other people by declaring war because you can't get what you want? How pathetic are you?"

"You could have been less selfish and thought twice about stealing other people's fiancés!"

"He didn't steal anyone!" Dom hissed. "He didn't even know about you until today."

"Whatever," Sive said. She threw her brown hair back and marched out of the throne room. "I expect your answer in an hour. Choose him and you've got a war on your hands. Choose me and everything will be fine."

She marched out and towards the entrance hall.

"I can't believe she would go this way," Arabella said.

"What should I do?" Dom asked. He hadn't let go of Matt's hand the whole time, gripping tightly. It had started to ache a while ago, but Matt didn't want him to let go just yet.

"What do you want to do?" Matt asked. "Give in to her blackmail?"

Dom shook his head. "There has to be another way."

"We could fake your death and you could continue living as a sailor," Alex suggested.

Dom shook his head. "No, it's the coward's way out. And I don't want to build my life on a lie."

"It'd be a fresh start," Arabella said.

Dom looked at Matt, asking for his opinion.

"We should keep it in mind as the last resort, if everything else fails," Matt said. "We had our fresh start on the Black Swan, we don't need a lie to protect it."

"What else can you do, but give in to her demands?" Alex asked. "I take it you don't want to wage a war because you're together, do you?"

Matt frowned and looked down at his tail fin. There weren't many options, were there? He doubted talking would get them anywhere. So, the choice was really between risking innocent people's lives or bidding goodbye to one another.

"Maybe we really should fake your death," Matthew whispered. "We can say you drowned. After all, she doesn't know you can turn into a merman for a certain period of time."

"You can turn into a merman?" Arabella asked.

Dom nodded and pulled his amulet out of his shirt. "The transformation hurts like hell and it's only for a day."

"Good to know," Arabella nodded. "Let's get planning, we only have one hour."

"Wait," Dom objected, looking from one to the other. "You've decided to fake my death without me actually agreeing?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Matt asked.

"I'll try and talk to her parents," he said.

Matt raised one eyebrow. "And you think this crazed fury will listen to anyone?"

"It's a worth a try," Dom shrugged. "She's not queen yet, so she can't declare war if her father is strictly against it. If it fails, I'll tell her I want to bid you goodbye, come back and we still can drown me."

 

 

Two hours later, Matt sat in his wheelchair, staring darkly at the wall opposite. He was furious. And on top of that, he felt the most useless he had ever felt in his life. It only fuelled his fury.

"He left me," he growled. "I can't believe it. He left me behind."

"He just wants to clear things up and come back, you know that." Alex answered. "It's better to face the parents of his ex-fiancée without a furious fish in the room."

"He just left for _another country_ without me. Can you believe it?" Matt ranted. "What does he think he's doing?"

"That he can solve things quickly and return to…"

"He can't just leave me behind. I'll never know if anything happens. That rabid she-monkey is going to throw him into the first dungeon she finds. And he leaves me behind!"

"Are you even listening to anything I say?"

Matt turned his head to look at Alex. "He left without me," he told his friend.

"I know. I've been there and you haven't been talking about anything else for an hour," Alex answered.

"I won't have that," Matthew announced, jaw tensing.

"Of course you won't," Alex said and Matthew could _hear_ the eye roll.

"How could he even _think_ I'd stay put?" Matthew hissed.

"Answers fail me," Alex said, dryly. "One would think he knows you by now." He sighed and rose from his chair, ruffling Matthew's hair. "Don't get your tail too black, bonnie, I'll talk to the Queen."

Matthew blinked and shook his head. He felt as if he was waking from a foggy dream. "You're planning something."

Alex just winked and left the room.

 

_  
"And then?"_

_"I think Dominic should continue from here on," Matthew said._

_"No, you can't just leave it there! I won't be able to sleep," Adri pouted._

_Matthew laughed and pressed a brief kiss against Adri's temple. "It's getting late already. We can pester Dominic tomorrow."_

_Adri didn't answer, but crossed her arms and stared at the sea._

_She was still sulking when Dominic found them a few minutes later._

_"Have you quarrelled?" Dominic asked._

_Matthew chuckled and shook his head. "I ended with a cliffhanger."_

_Adri batted her hand against Matthew's chest and turned to Dominic. "Tell me what happened!" she demanded._

_Dominic frowned at Matthew. "Where have you stopped?"_

_"You went off to Sive's father and_ left me behind _."_

_"I'll never hear the end of it, will I?" Dominic sighed._

_"No," Matthew answered._

_"Tomorrow, Adri, I promise I'll tell you what happened tomorrow."_


	9. I’m waiting for the Fish’s Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Fish rescues his Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, on we go. The First Journey‘s end is nigh, penultimate chapter of it. I won‘t promise anything, but you know, I love the whole staff of this story to bits…  
> This chapter's name is taken from Ich warte by Einstürzende Neubauten.  
>  **Beta:** My Mighty Minty Aero, Chants!  
> 

_"You promised something yesterday," Adri said, pouting at her uncle._

_Dominic raised an eyebrow. "Did I?"_

_"Yes, you wanted to continue the story," Matthew answered and pulled Adri onto his lap. “After you left me behind," he added._

_Dominic sighed. "Adri, whatever you do, never leave the one you love behind, even with the best intentions. They will never forgive you."_

_Adri nodded and grinned. "I know." She shifted on Matthew's lap until she had his tail straddled, resting her back against Matthew's chest. "I do hope you made it up to Matthew."  
_

 

Dominic sat together with Sive's father in a small audience hall, shifting uneasily and rolling his shoulders. He wasn't used to wearing satin any longer, he noticed. The smooth fabric felt strange on his skin. He looked around in the richly decorated room. This wasn't his world any longer, he realised. He chuckled inwardly. If someone had told him that he would feel out of place in the royal world just a year and a half ago, he would have laughed.

It was funny how things could change, Dominic pondered. He tried to figure out if one and a half years was a long time or not. He didn't know. It felt like a lifetime.

His thoughts wandered to Matthew. The merman would be furious and scared. Dom didn't know which of those emotions would be dominant, but he guessed furious. Furious about Dom just leaving him and furious about Sive still claiming Dominic and forcing him to return to her.

Sive's father cleared his throat and Dom snapped out of his thoughts, focussing on the older man.

"I am sorry, Sir," Dom started, but the King waved him into silence with a short gesture.

"Please, be assured that neither I nor my wife hold any grudge against you."

Dom nodded and breathed out.

"I read your reasoning and the compensation offers were more than sufficient. And I appreciate a young man who knows what he wants and is willing to bear the consequences. Your kingdom has always been a good ally and I'm strongly averse to my daughter's idée fixe to declare war should she not get what she wants."

"Thank you, Sir."

"My daughter," the King sighed, "simply put, she has a huge crush on you and clings to the image of the two of you living peacefully forever after. She believes in fairy tales."

Dom nodded. "I do understand. But sometimes the fairy tales happen to other people."

Sive's father cocked his head. "Are you the one who's living the fairy tale?"

Dom frowned, musing over the question. Eventually, he smiled. "Yes, Sir, I think I am."

"You had to sacrifice much."

Dom shook his head. "The sacrifices I made pale in comparison to the sacrifice I would have had to make otherwise."

"I understand," the King answered. "You're a braver man than many."

Dom dipped his head. "Thank you, Sir."

"Sive, stop it!" a female voice shouted from outside the room. Dom recognised it as the Queen's.

Only a few moments later, the door was pushed open and Sive stood in the room, glaring at her father with chest heaving. She pointed at Dom. "Father, you can't be serious!" she screamed. "He rejected me, he shamed the whole family!"

"Sive, please, calm down," her was said, frowning. "This is no behaviour for a princess."

"Did he behave like a prince?"

"I'm not a prince, I'm a sailor," Dom answered.

"Sive, we’ve talked about this numerous times," the King said. "I am not declaring war on an ally who has done nothing wrong."

"He left me for a gay fish!" Sive shouted.

"Don't call Matthew 'fish'!" Dom hissed, ignoring the confused frown of the King and the Queen.

"He is, at least from the waist down!" Sive snapped back.

"Just what are you talking about?" the Queen asked, but no one answered her. A few of the guards down the hall shouted, screaming in pain shortly after.

Dom could hear the voice of his mother apologising over the sound of bickering.

"We haven‘t got time, I‘ll walk!" a familiar voice hissed. Dom frowned. It didn't make sense. Maybe the presence of that particular voice made a lot of sense, but not what it had said.

"That‘s a contradiction in itself," a second, but not less familiar voice retorted.

"Are you getting cheeky with me, water ape?" the first voice snapped over a strangled shout from someone else, followed by an apology by Dom's mother.

"Wouldn't dare, bonnie."

The King frowned. "What's going on there?"

Dom swallowed. "I have a fair idea," he answered just before the group of three reached the room.

"Matthew! Alex! Mother!"

Dom stared at them. Alex was carrying Matt on his back, while the merman was kicking at any guard who came near them.

"What are you doing here?" he ground out.

"You know the fish, did you really think he'd just stay put?"

"Dominic!" Matt shouted and kicked at another guard. Dom stared some more.

"You're wearing a skirt," Dominic managed.

"Of course," Matt answered and yanked at Alex's hair, demanding him to walk to Dom. "There's no way I'm wearing those trouser things. Fucking uncomfortable."

"Stop yanking my hair, fish!" Alex growled, dropping Matt.

"Smutje!" Matt screamed, and kicked against Alex's shin before turning his head to grin at Dom, whilst extending his arms.

"He‘s quite violent," Adrienne said, frowning at Matt.

Alex chuckled. "He‘s used to hitting people with his tail fins."

Adrienne raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, the amount of times Dom and me got his tail fins against our shoulders. Or in my face."

"You…" Dom started and shook his head. He settled for simply staring at Matt again. The merman had legs. And was wearing a dark blue skirt, his pale feet poking out from underneath. Dom's eyes trawled higher, over the pale chest with the scar and settled on the necklace around Matt's neck. It was the counterpart to Dom's.

He sank down and crawled over to Matt.

"Queen Adrienne?" the King asked.

Adrienne nodded in greeting. She smiled at Sive's parents. "Please, forgive our sudden appearance. But Matthew was worried and…"

"How could you think I'd stay put while you _leave me behind_? Speaking of which, what did you think when you left without me?!" Matthew hissed and kicked Dom. "Have you thought about me for one second?"

Sive snorted. "He‘s scared you would leave him for me. He doesn‘t trust you one bit."

"Shut up!" Dom and Matt hissed simultaneously.

Dom looked back at Matt. "I'm sorry, love. I wanted to solve this matter as fast as possible."

Matt huffed and crossed his arms and legs, pouting.

"Who are those people?" Sive's father asked, frowning down at Matt.

Dom pointed at Alex. "This is Alexander Kapranos, chef of the Black Swan. And this," Dom pointed at the merman, "is Matthew, my chosen one."

The King nodded, still frowning. Dom looked back at Matt, relieved to find him grinning. Matt chuckled and reached down to the hem of his skirt, pulling it up.

"Dom, Dom, look I've got a pe…"

"YES!" Dom hurried to shout and yanked Matt's hands down again, ignoring Alex' laughter behind him. "Yes, good, just keep the skirt down, please!"

Matt giggled and poked his feet against Dom's thigh. "And toes!" he announced. "I've got toes!"

Dom giggled and grabbed Matt's ankle, running his thumb over its side. "Nice toes, too."

Matt grinned and leant forward, pressing his lips against Dom's.

"How come you've got an amulet, too?" Dom asked, running one hand over Matt's leg and resting it on his kneecap.

"Ms Palmer coincidentally forgot the second necklace," Alex answered, grinning.

Dom turned his head, one eyebrow cocked. "Did she?"

"Yeah, apparently, she's got to play by some obscure rules and this was the only way around."

"That's why she wanted to talk to you after she gave me mine," Dom said and Alex nodded. He looked back at Matt. "How much time do you have left?"

"Maybe an hour," Matt answered. "I don't know exactly."

"Half an hour at most," Alex stated.

"What‘s the meaning of all of this?" Sive's father asked.

"As I said, I am no longer the fiancé of your daughter," Dom answered. "And there is nothing to gain for you from a marriage with me. I‘m nothing more than a sailor and Matthew is my partner."

Dom noticed how the King glanced at his mother. Adrienne nodded. "It's true. Dominic gave up the crown to follow Matthew. They belong together."

Dom smiled at his mother.

"I don‘t accept it! He can‘t just drop me for a… a… _fish_!"

"Why do you insist on calling this man 'fish'?" her mother asked. She frowned at the couple on the floor, Dom holding back a struggling Matt, whispering soothing words into his ear.

"But he is one," Sive snapped. "He may have legs now, but I have seen his tail.”

"Dominic," Matt whispered, reaching out and squeezing Dom's arm hard. "It…" He winced. "It's starting."

Without hesitating, Dom pulled Matt closer, stroking through the black hair. He looked up at the King. "Water, we need water!"

He winced, Matt's hands tightening on his arm. The merman whimpered and trashed his head against Dom's shoulder, screaming when his gill caps broke open.

"Like a glass of water?" the King asked, staring helplessly at the writhing and bleeding merman.

"No, a whole bathtub of sea water!" Adrienne shouted. She had one hand pressed against her mouth and was staring wide-eyed at Matt.

"ANY WATER!" Matt shouted and tore at his skirt, kicking into the air.

"Shhh, I‘m here, love, I‘m here," Dom whispered. "Calm, love, calm."

Sive snorted. "He‘s faking it."

"I can assure you, he‘s not!" Dom snapped at her. "I know what pain occurs when your body is changing inside and out. I _know_ it. So don‘t you _dare_ assuming he's faking anything."

"Look at his legs," Sive's mother ground out and pointed at Matt's feet. They were starting to grow together, the skin on the insides of his legs breaking, while the flesh grew together and scales pressed through the skin.

Sive stared at the blood that spread around Dom and Matt and sunk down to the floor next to them.

Dom barely noticed the rushing and excitement around him, as he clung to the screaming and twisting merman. Someone tried to grab Matt and pull him away, and Dom lashed out before he realised it was Alex.

"We've got a bathtub," the chef said. "C'mon, let's get him under water before the gills are stuck with blood."

Dom nodded weakly and allowed Alex to pull Matt up. Dom hurried to follow, stepping back within the distance of Matt's outstretched arms. Dom and Alex let the merman glide into the water, pressing the struggling and screaming Matt underneath the surface. Matt stilled for a moment, before a blue tail fin shot out of the water, colliding with Alex's shoulders.

They let go of Matt and took a few steps back, allowing him to surface.

Sive's parents stared at him while Adrienne rushed forward, fussing over the shaking merman. Matt smiled weakly at her.

"I'm okay. It still hurts, but I'm okay," he assured her and reached out for Dom again.

"There are fins on his arms," Sive's mother whispered.

"Of course, there are also gill caps on my neck and there's a long tail from my waist down," Matt retorted.

"I told you, he's a fish!" Sive snapped.

"A merman," the King whispered, staring at Matt's tail fin. He looked at Dom. "That's why you became a sailor."

Dom nodded and reached out to pull Matt out of the red water. "Come on, love, let's get you somewhere less bloody."

Matt nodded and put his arms around Dom's neck, allowing him to pull him out of the water. Matt came to sit on the rim of the bathtub, his tail fin swaying between Dom's legs, head resting against Dom's shoulder. Dom ran a hand over the merman’s back.

"Legend has it that one who eats the flesh of a fair and pure mermaid will be immortal," Sive said.

Dom frowned at her, wondering if this had been meant as a threat. "Only that Matthew isn't a maid, and he's far from being fair and pure, too."

"What?" Matt exclaimed in mock outrage. "Why am I neither fair nor pure?"

"You're a stubborn and cheeky piece of flotsam who spends far too much time with a certain cook," Dom answered.

Matt smirked and stuck his tongue out at Dom.

Sive snorted and left the room, the door falling shut with a loud bang behind her. Dom sighed and looked at the King.

"Indeed, you were right when you said you are the one living the fairy tale," the old man spoke.

Dom nodded, slowly.

"Just a question, out of curiosity - had I given in to my daughter's demands, would you have left him?"

Dom felt Matt tense in his arms, emitting a low growl. Dom shook his head. "No. I could never give up what we have. He means too much."

The King sighed. "It's a shame you're not going to be king. Sticking to consequences of a decision is a treat far too rare in the ruling."

"My sister will be a better ruler than I ever could be," Dom answered.

The King chuckled. "If you say so. I shall look forward to our alliance."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Stay for the night," Sive's mother said. "You're very welcome, and I'm sure you will know many a fascinating story to tell."

"It'd be a pleasure," Adrienne answered, smiling.

"Just keep an eye on the smutje," Matt giggled and poked Alex's arm. "He'll hook up with anyone who doesn't flee fast enough."

"Shh, stop it, bonnie," Alex shushed him and batted the poking finger away, "you'll ruin my reputation."

Matt laughed. "What reputation? Or do you have girls waiting for you in this city as well?"

Alex winked. "Not just girls," he drawled.

"Be careful they don't chase you away as well," Dom retorted.

"What interesting company you have found, Dominic," Sive's mother stated, blushing faintly.

 

 

Dom turned over in his bed, grunting. He couldn't sleep. It wasn't that the bed wasn't moving. He had got used to static beds within a few days again, but he missed Matt's presence in the same room.

Sighing, he sat up and pushed himself from the bed to pad to the bathroom next door.

"Matthew?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake the merman should he be asleep.

"Dominic!" Matt called out and Dom heard water splashing. "Come to me," Matt pleaded.

Smiling, Dom felt his way through the dark bathroom until his toes bumped against the porcelain of the tub. Wet hands ran over Dom's arms, impatiently pulling him nearer. Dom sunk to his knees and let his head fall against Matt's.

"Thank you for coming," Dom whispered. He felt Matt nodding.

"You know, you don't have to do things on your own. I'm by your side, even if you have to carry me around on land."

Dom sighed and closed his eyes. "I know. I just thought it'd be better if I didn't have a merman with me when talking to Sive's parents."

Matt shrugged. "They took it rather well."

"That wasn't necessarily to be expected, though."

"Dominic?"

Dom frowned at the serious tone in Matt's voice. "Yes?"

"If you ever leave me behind again, I will not forgive you."

Dom swallowed and nodded. "I won't."

"Swear."

"I swear, Matthew, I will never leave you behind for anything again."

Matt nodded and rested his head against Dom's shoulder.

"Now you," Dom spoke after a while. He felt Matt lift his head again, most likely frowning at the human.

"I swear," he eventually spoke. "I swear that I will never leave you, Dominic."

Dominic smiled and craned his neck, finding Matt's lips with his own in the darkness.

"I can't sleep," Dom said after a while.

"Me either," Matt muttered. "Just can't sleep without you in the same room."

 

 

Adrienne knocked at the door to her son's room, but didn't receive an answer. Carefully, she pushed it open a fraction, calling out for Dominic and Matthew. Still, she received no answer. Breathing in deep, she pushed the door further open and walked inside, finding the bed dishevelled, but empty.

She frowned until her eyes fell on the door to the bathroom. Swiftly, she walked over to the door, listening for any noises before opening it.

She smiled at the sight of her son, leaning half-way into the bathtub, his arms on Matthew's shoulders, his head against the merman's. They were sleeping peacefully.

Adrienne cleared her throat and Matthew stirred. He cracked open an eye.

Adrienne waved at him. "Breakfast will be ready in an hour," she whispered.

Matthew nodded and turned his head to Dominic, pressing his lips against Dominic's and pulling softly on Dominic's hair.

Smiling, Adrienne retreated, figuring it was best to leave them alone.

 

 

Breakfast was shared in silence. Sive was glaring at Matt, who made a show of ignoring her and eating joyfully, exploiting his complete lack of table manners to its fullest.

"Can't you use cutlery?" she snapped after a while.

Matt looked up at her, while pushing a piece of bread into his mouth. "Nope. I grew up catching and eating raw fish with my own hands, excuse the futility of cutlery underwater."

"No wonder you're this gaunt. I bet you hardly caught any fish."

Matt shrugged and reached for a piece of cheese that vanished inside his mouth without ever having touched a piece of bread. "I'll let the crew of the Black Swan judge my hunting abilities."

"Well, I have to say, we’ve never had to starve since Matt's started catching our fish," Alex proclaimed cheerfully. He winked at Sive. "I make a mean fish stew, if you ever want to try, bonnie."

Sive blushed and looked down at her own plate.

Dom rolled his eyes and turned to the King. "We have to leave today. The Black Swan is leaving again in a few days and we mustn't be late."

"You really insist on working as a sailor?" Sive asked. "You're a prince!"

"I'm a sailor," Dom answered. "And I won't miss my ship."

Sive growled and left the table, ignoring her mother's shouts.

Dom stared down at his plate. "I feel sorry for her," he whispered.

"She'll find someone," her father answered.

"And what if she doesn’t?"

"Someone has to show her that there are more fish in the sea," Alex said. "Just because you may not find the special one to start with, doesn't mean you should mope and live your life in despair."

"Says the one with at least two lovers in every port," Matt stated.

"Told you before, it'd be egotistic to deny the amorous world of me," Alex answered.

Matt rolled his eyes and reclined in his chair. "You're not going to join us, no matter what you say."

Dom blushed and coughed, hoping that Matt and Alex would take the hint.

"You don't know what you're missing," Alex drawled.

"Right," Dom exclaimed. "I don't think this is talk appropriate for a breakfast table." He rose and reached out to pull Matt onto his back. "Time to get ready."

"I am ready, I only have my skirt with me," Matt answered.

"In that case, you can help me pack," Dom decided and left the room, grateful when one of the servants opened the door for him.

Matt chuckled and dipped his head to whisper in Dom's ear, "Did we embarrass you?"

"Yes." Dom admitted. "The two of you just don't have any clue about court protocol."

"Or we just don't care," Matt pointed out.

"Oh, that's even better," Dom growled.

Matt laughed and pressed his lips to Dom's earlobe. "Come on, it's just a bit of fun."

"Yes, you making fun of me, that's what it is."

"We only do this because we love you, really," Matt insisted.

Dom snorted and made to retort something, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the creature in front of him. He frowned. The man standing in the corridor was naked, unkempt brown hair falling as a mane over his shoulders, the face dominated by crude features. Dom's eyes fell on the hairy chest and further down to the navel, a trail of fur leading down to goat legs covered in brown fur. Dom stared at the hooves, an unkempt and dirty tail waving behind them.

"A faun," Matt muttered. "What’s a faun doing here?"

"I don't know," Dom answered. His eyes fell on the club in the faun's hand. "But I don't think it's here to make friends."

"Give me the merman," the faun rumbled.

"What?" Dom asked.

"Give me the merman, or I will kill you both," the faun repeated.

Dom felt Matt's hands on his shoulders tighten and took a step backwards. "I won't give you Matthew."

"Then I will kill you both!" the faun shouted and raised his club. He let it fall down in front of Dom, only just missing him.

"Last warning," he growled.

"What do you want with Matthew?" Dom asked, as he took another step backwards.

"The flesh of merpeople makes one invincible and immortal."

Dom frowned. Was it possible that…?

"We don't taste good," Matt hissed.

"I don't care for taste if it makes me invincible," the faun retorted.

"We don't make anyone invincible either," Matt said.

"We'll see about that, shall we?" the faun sneered and raised his club again.

Cursing, Dom threw Matt to the ground, as far away as possible, whilst dodging the attack. The club hit the ground between them.

"Alex!" Matthew screamed. "Bring your bloody knives!"

The faun laughed. "Knifes won't do anything against me." He walked over to Matt and stopped in front of the merman. Matt tried to crawl backwards, but hit the wall behind him.

"You can't run, you're helpless here, fishy."

"Leave him alone!" Dom shouted and grabbed a vase next to him to smash it against the faun's skull.

The faun stumbled back and shook his head. He turned and glared at Dom. "You really want to die, don't you?"

"I told you, you won't get Matthew," Dom hissed, looking around frantically for something else to throw.

He didn't find anything, and before he could react, the faun had grabbed him, holding him up by the throat. The faun walked over to Matt, letting Dom dangle above him, and laughing at Matt's attempts to hit him with his tail fin.

"What do you say now, fishy? Ready to become my food? I will let the human go if you come with me voluntarily."

Matt frowned and shook his head, screaming for Alex again. Hurried footsteps advanced and Sive and Alex appeared, followed by Adrienne and Sive's parents.

"What are you doing?!" Sive screeched. "I told you to leave him out of it."

Matt turned his head, glaring at the princess. "You fucking whore!" he snarled. "I’ve rarely met anyone as low as you."

The faun laughed and threw Dom to the ground, bending down and reaching for Matt's tail. He lifted the screaming merman into the air, not caring if Matt hit his head on the floor.

"Got you," he drawled and turned, dragging Matt behind him.

"Oh no, you don't!" Dom shouted and ran after the faun, only just aware of something metallic swishing past his head.

Alex's knife buried itself in the head of the faun. Blood started to seep down its back and the creature stopped, swaying for a moment before falling forward. Dom stopped and bent down to prise the hand around Matt's tail open. He pulled the merman close to himself and shuffled backwards in case the faun wasn't dead. He stopped when his back hit the wall, and looked down, stroking through Matt's hair.

Matt winced and leant his forehead against Dom's. He raised his arms and put them on Dom's shoulders, his hands playing in Dom's hair.

"A faun," the Queen whispered. "How could a faun get into the castle?"

"You should ask your daughter," Matt hissed, and turned his head to glare at Sive.

The Queen frowned and looked at Sive.

"I can't accept that Dominic chooses something like this," she pointed at Matt, "over me. What does he have that I don't have? What makes him so special?"

"He's got a fish tail," Alex pointed out.

"And that's why I've been rejected?" Sive cried. "That's all that's needed to refuse my love?"

"Oh bonnie, there's so much more in this world than the one and only. You have to search for it, and sometimes you won't find it. Doesn't mean you can't have fun."

"Sive, did you really let the faun into the castle grounds?" the King asked.

Sive crossed her arms and pouted. "He was supposed to just get rid of the fish. I told him to not hurt Dominic."

"You bloody, deluded she-ape," Matt hissed.

"And you? Would you have watched Dominic die?" Sive snapped back. "I heard the faun offering to let Dominic go, if you gave yourself to him."

"So what?"

"You won't sacrifice yourself for the one you love?"

"Of course not," Matt answered, clinging tightly to Dom.

Sive snorted. "But Dominic can sacrifice himself for you, can he?"

Matt narrowed his eyes at her. "I'd beat him up if he tried to pull a stunt like that," he hissed. "You don't sacrifice yourself for the one you're supposed to love. How would you make them happy if you're gone? How would you care for them? You'd do anything to stay alive for them."

Dom smiled and nodded, pressing a kiss against Matt's lips.

 

_  
"How could someone sink so low?" Adri asked, after Dominic had finished._

_Dominic shrugged. "She was in love."_

_"She couldn't stand being rejected," Matthew growled._

_"Could you?" Dominic retorted._

_"I wouldn't try to get the other person killed at the risk of harming the one I love."_

_Adri glanced up at Matthew. There was more than one way to interpret that statement. "What happened to Sive?" she asked. "I know she's still allied with us."_

_"Let's just say Alex has ways to cure people of heartache," Matthew chuckled._

_"He seems to be a very loving man," Adri pondered._

_Dominic coughed. "That's definitely one way of putting it."_

_Adri cocked her head, about to ask what her uncle meant, but Matthew ruffled her hair. "That's something you'll learn about in good time, trust me."_

_Adri crossed her arms and pouted, causing Matthew and Dominic to laugh again. "I'm not a little child anymore."_

_"No, that you aren't," Dominic answered. "But there's still so much for you to learn, and all in good time. Where's the fun in growing up if you knew everything before it happened?"_

_Adri grunted and tried to stifle a yawn._

_"Time for bed, young princess," Dominic announced, and rose from his chair to push the wheelchair with Matthew and Adri inside._

_"Do you think that one day, I'll find the one for me?" she asked, almost asleep against Matthew's shoulder._

_"I'm sure you will find the one you care about some day," Matthew answered, stroking through her hair. He looked up at Dominic, smiling and waving his tail, faint white stripes appearing on it. "I love you," he whispered._

_Dominic returned the smile and leant down. "I love you, too," he said before sealing their lips together._


	10. I had a Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we draw the Curtain for now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neubauten again. :P  
> Whole quote from the song that made me chose this name:  
>  _„Ich bin die fernsten Winkel abgereist_  
>  auf der Suche nach der Bedeutung, diesem Beweis  
> nach einem Wort das ich nun endlich wieder weiss  
> was ich in mir trug das geb ich nicht mehr preis  
> ich gebs nimmermehr preis...“
> 
> And translation as given by www.neubauten.org  
>  _I’ve travelled to the farthest corners_  
>  in search of the meaning, of this proof  
>  of a word I now finally know again  
>  that I bore within myself that I will never surrender again  
>  I will never ever surrender it again...
> 
> Anyways… what can I say? I‘m feeling rather emotional now, but I don‘t really know what to say…
> 
> This is the story with the characters I care the most about. I love them. The pirates. The wandering soul. The chef. The prince. And most of all, my little fish. I will miss them dearly. But as they say: All good things come to an end. You guys already know that I‘ve started on other things. So it‘s time to give the fish a rest, let him and his prince discover the world on their own without our curiously prying eyes.
> 
> Let‘s stand on the shore and wave after the Black Swan, knowing they‘ll be together and tackling anything and everything that tries to obscure their way.
> 
> And maybe, just maybe, we‘ll meet again one day.
> 
> So long. And thanks for the fish.
> 
>  **Thanks:** go to you. Yepp, you. I‘d never have thought that the little fish would become this popular. Thank you for reading along and following this little experiment of weirdness.  
>  **Beta:** Aero, Mighty Minty Mine: Chaaaants.  
> 

The remaining days of Dom's and Matt's shore leave elapsed uneventful. They had returned to Dom's kingdom and had spent their time with friends and family, following an idle routine.

Dom had just returned from his fencing lessons, still unable to beat his teacher, and walked straight into the bathroom to find it empty. He sighed and quickly washed off the sweat, figuring that Matt would be in the library, trying to learn to read.

Dom was amazed by how fast Matt was improving his reading skills, even though it still took him half an hour to finish one page. Of course, Matt was not impressed at all and would accept no praise offered, discarding it as patronising.

Dom walked back into the bedroom and looked at the pile of clothes he had left on the chair. Shaking his head, he walked to the bed and fell down, contempt in just his breeches. He gazed at the ceiling, wondering how long it would take Matt today to grow frustrated with his slow reading pace.

He didn‘t have to wait for long. Soon the door to his chambers was pushed open and Matt wheeled into the room, spinning and pushing the door closed again. He turned, only then noticing Dom on the bed.

Grinning, Matt pushed the wheels forward and rolled closer to Dom, before crawling onto the bed.

„Hello, love,“ he purred.

„Good afternoon, gorgeous,“ Dom answered and lifted his hands into Matt‘s hair. „How‘s the reading coming along?“

Matt sighed and threw himself sideways to lie next to Dom. „Still slow. But the librarian promised to give me a book so that I can practise reading on the Black Swan, too.“

„I hope it won‘t be a book too big, or you won‘t be able to finish it within five or six months,“ Dom laughed.

Matt growled and hit his tail against Dom‘s leg before turning his back on the human. Dom sighed and grabbed Matt‘s shoulders to roll him back.

„I know you don‘t want to hear this,“ Dom said and straddled Matt‘s hips, brushing his lips over Matt‘s forehead, „but considering that you only recently learned to read, your progress is amazing.“

Matt pouted, but Dom continued without giving the merman a chance to speak. „And I won‘t have any complaints about this now.“

„It‘s just frustrating.“

„I know. Now let‘s shut up about reading and do something fun instead,“ Dom drawled and kissed along Matthew‘s jaw. He felt Matthew‘s hands pressed against his shoulders, pulling him closer and the tail wiggling between his legs.

„I could use the amulet,“ Matthew said.

Dom stopped and lifted his head, frowning down. „No, Matthew, I don‘t want you to suffer on my behalf.“

Matthew pouted. „But…“

„No,“ Dom said and shook his head.

Matthew‘s jaw tensed. „I thought we were equal,“ he stated, „but clearly we're not.“

„What are you talking about? Of course we’re equal!“

Matthew snorted. „Then why are you allowed to decide if you‘re going through pain to become a merman, if even just for the sake of dancing, but I am not allowed to decide the same?“

„Because I love you, and I don‘t want you to go through those pains,“ Dom answered, pressing his lips against Matthew‘s. The merman didn‘t respond.

„And that gives you the right to make this decision for me.“

Dom let himself fall next to Matthew, staring at the ceiling. They lay in silence for a while, Matthew apparently refusing to speak again and leaving Dom to react.

„Are you really sure you want this?“ Dom asked after a while.

Matthew turned his face towards him, smiling. „Yes. I want to stay in bed with you without having to be afraid of drying up. And… we could you know… have sex? Like humans?“

„Is this something you really want?“ Dom asked again. He had to be sure before allowing Matthew to expose himself to the transformation again. It had been terrifying to watch him turn back into a merman and Dom didn‘t want to witness it again so soon. But he also shared Matthew‘s desire for intimacy, for feeling the other without restrictions, to lose himself in the other.

Matthew nodded. „Yes.“ He shifted to lie on Dom, pinning the human‘s hand to the mattress and rubbing against Dom‘s groin. „I want you to lose yourself in me, and then I want to be in you.“

Dom closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, he smiled and craned his neck to kiss Matthew. „Okay, lets do it.“

 

 

About half an hour later, Dom and Matthew lay in the bathtub, legs entwined and the surrounding water red from Matt‘s blood. Dom stroked through Matthew‘s hair, whispering soothing words and declarations of love into his ears.

Matthew shivered and turned, curling up against Dom and closing his eyes, trying to calm his frantic breathing.

„Are you okay?“ Dom asked.

Matthew nodded. „Still hurts, but I‘ll live.“

Dom smiled and pressed his lips into Matthew‘s hair. „Can we move to the other bathtub to clean off the blood, or do you need a bit more rest?“

„A few more minutes maybe?“ Matthew answered and twisted around, putting his arms around Dom‘s torso. „It‘s comfortable.“

“But the water is disgusting,” Dom grumbled and pushed them higher.

Matthew sighed and leant back to enable Dom to climb out of the water. Once outside the bathtub, Dom leant down and helped Matthew to sit on the rim and swing his legs over to the ground. He grinned.

“You know, you can move your legs separately, no need to keep them together all the time.”

Matthew pouted and batted his hand against Dom's shoulder. “Shut up, I'm used to a fishtail.”

Dom giggled and watched how Matthew lifted his right leg and let it fall to the ground again, repeating the motion with his left leg. He looked at Dom and lifted his arms towards him.

Smiling, Dom stepped closer and bent down, enabling Matthew to hug his torso before lifting him up. They shifted until they were standing side to side, Dom's arms firmly steadying Matthew's waist.

“Come on, love, the other bathtub is just a few steps away,” Dom whispered. “Just one step after the other.”

Matthew nodded and put his right foot forwards. They made their way to the other bathtub, Dom steadying Matthew, who felt rather wobbly.

“Now I have legs, and _stil_ l I‘m useless on land,” Matthew stated, a bitter tone underlying his words.

“You are not useless, stupid fish,” Dom retorted. “Children take months to learn to walk and you expect to be able to master it within a day?”

He held Matthew's hips while the merman sat down on the edge of the smaller bathtub and turned around to place his legs in the clear water.

“It's just frustrating that I'm so dependent on other people,” he murmured and was granted a light blow against the back of his head.

“Stop moping, I rather carry you around all day than miss your moaning for one minute,” Dom said.

Matthew glared at him while sliding into the water. His expression changed to a smirk and he lifted his legs, spreading them and hanging them over the edge of the bathtub.

Dom swallowed and stared at the open posture. Matthew lifted a hand towards Dom and curled his finger in a beckoning gesture. Dom nodded and followed, gliding into the water between his legs. He sunk forward, moaning when their groins met.

“I can't wait to feel you in me,” he admitted against Matthew's lips.

Matthew smirked and nodded, slinging his arms around Dom's shoulders and arching up against him.

“This feels nice,” he moaned.

Dominic nodded and ground down, pressing his lips against Matthew's. “I want you,” he whispered. “You're so beautiful, inside and out.”

Matthew purred arching further into Dominic. He whimpered when Dominic's hand curled around his hard flesh, setting a steady pace.

“Dominic…”

“Do you like this?” Dominic whispered into Matthew's ear, nibbling on the earlobe.

Matthew nodded frantically, his hands clawing into the skin on Dominic's back. “God, yes, don't stop, please.”

“Just wait until I've got you in bed, until I can taste you.”

Matthew mewled and tensed, white liquid mingling with the water. He panted and peered at Dominic through half-closed eyes. “Can't wait,” he growled. “Never would have thought that having a penis could be this mind-blowing.”

Dom giggled and pushed himself out of the water and fetched two towels. He quickly dried himself and motioned for Matthew to rise out of the bathtub.

Matthew pushed himself up and managed to turn on the rim, steadying himself on the floor with his legs. He grinned proudly.

Dom reciprocated the grin and set to drying Matthew's skin, starting by ruffling the wet hair and slowly moving down. He ended kneeling in front of his lover and drying each toe separately. Once done, he discarded the towel and rose, holding out a hand towards Matthew.

Matthew took the hand and stood, tumbling forward and against Dom after only a few seconds of standing upright. Dom caught him and shifted, so they were standing side by side again.

“And furthermore,” Dom said before Matthew could say anything again, “I like having you so close by my side.”

Matthew nodded and shifted closer. They stumbled forward in silence, Matthew's head resting against Dom's shoulder. They reached the bed and Dom lay down, pulling Matthew after him. Matthew shifted to lie between Dom's legs, his hands splayed on Dom's chest.

“I want to feel you,” Dominic whispered.

Matthew nodded and leant down, kissing Dominic's jaw and throat, collarbone and chest. “I’m nervous,” he admitted.

Dominic nodded and reached for one of Matthew's hands. He kissed the hand and lead it down between his legs to touch where no one had touched him before. “I trust you.”

Matthew smiled and moved his hand, stroking between Dominic's buttocks. Dominic whimpered and pressed down against the digits. But they were gone too soon. Confused, Dominic opened his eyes to find Matthew smirking down at him while suckling on his fingers.

Sighing, Dominic closed his eyes again, relaxing as good as possible and waited for Matthew's touch. He moaned when it came again, touching him tentatively and gently probing inside. He whispered Matthew's name, spreading his legs even further when the fingers were removed and something bigger pressed against him.

Dominic opened his eyes again, meeting Matthew's, and opened his mouth. But whatever he wanted to say, it never was articulated. Finally feeling Matthew inside was something no word could possibly do any justice. He lifted his hands and laid them against Matthew's cheeks.

Closing his eyes, Matthew leant his head back, his own hands running over Dominic's sides.

“I love you,” Matthew whispered, and Dominic nodded, stroking his hands over Matthew's eyes and forehead to tangle in the messy hair.

“You're perfect,” Dominic whispered and Matthew opened his eyes again to look at Dominic.

“ _We_ are perfect,” he answered and fell down, their chests colliding and lips attaching to any sliver of skin they could find.

Dominic's hands fell to Matthew's hips and he guided their movements, fixing them in a slow dance. They moved against each other, soft moans tumbling into the other's mouth, hands stroking over sweaty skin until the pace was too slow, until they needed more friction.

Matthew's hands on Dominic's sides tightened and he picked up a faster rhythm, Dominic's hands clawing at Matthew's back and keeping their chests close together until they stilled again.

Dominic felt Matthew relaxing against him, his face pressed against Dominic's neck and hot breath skittering over his skin in short bursts.

Dom's hands roamed over Matthew's back and he started laughing softly. Matthew lifted his head and blinked at Dom, confused, before he fell into giggles too. Dom reached up to pull Matthew's head down, pressing their lips together in a sloppy kiss.

 

 

Matthew woke without opening his eyes, wondering why he wasn't surrounded by water. He moved his tail, surprised to find that he seemed to have two tails that moved separately from each other. He sniffed, smelling the salt of sweat and the odour of coupling. He licked his lips, cracking his eyes open and was met with the sight of Dom sleeping peacefully.

Matthew grinned and shifted closer, remembering what they’d done a few hours ago. He shivered, longing for the connection once again. He licked over Dom's chest, giggling when Dom stirred and mumbled something in his sleep.

Shifting even closer, Matthew pushed his legs between Dom's, hooking them together. Dom stirred again, reciprocating the gesture. Matthew smiled and pressed his head against Dom's chest, arms finding their way around his torso.

 

 

He woke again with something poking his toes. He blinked and turned, shivering when he noticed the lack of Dom's body heat. He opened his eyes and glanced down to find the blanket discarded on the floor and Dom cowering at his feet. Matthew made to sit up, but Dom shook his head and motioned for him to lie on his back.

Sighing, Matthew shifted higher to rest against the headboard, enabling him an unrestricted view of Dominic.

Dominic smiled and brushed his fingers around Matthew's ankle, chuckling softly when he noticed the shiver that this simple gesture caused. He lifted Matthew's foot and kissed the bottom of it, running his tongue over each toe and pecking the tips of it.

Matthew mewled and closed his eyes, concentrating on feeling Dominic's tongue and lips. Dominic placed a kiss on Matthew's small toe and moved to kiss over the back of his foot, slowly moving upwards, hands stroking over Matthew's leg where Dominic's lips had been a few seconds before.

He reached Matthew's groin and placed a kiss on the tip of his flesh. Matthew's eyes shot open and he whimpered, opening his mouth to spur Dominic on, but the human was crouched over Matthew's right foot again, repeating the worship on Matthew's other leg.

“Dominic,” Matthew whispered softly. He reached down to touch himself, but Dominic shook his head.

Swallowing, Matthew let his hands fall down to the blanket, fisting the sheets, and gave himself over to Dominic's teasing. He whimpered when Dominic's mouth reached his abdomen again, short and teasing pecks being dropped everywhere, but not where Matthew needed Dominic's lips to be.

“Please,” he begged, his hands tearing into Dominic's hair.

Dominic winked and opened his mouth, engulfing Matthew in one swift move. Matthew moaned and let his hands fall from Dominic's hair, blabbering nonsense while he felt the moist warmness surrounding him. He felt a familiar tingling in his belly and lifted his hands into Dominic's hair again, tugging impatiently.

“Stop, Dominic, please.”

Dominic frowned and lifted his head to look at Matthew.

Spreading his legs, Matthew shifted, pushing his hips towards Dominic. “Want you in me, too.”

Dominic nodded and shifted, kneeling between Matthew's legs. He lathered his fingers with his own saliva and carefully pressed inside.

Matthew whimpered. He didn't quite know if this feeling was unpleasant or if he liked it, but strangely enough, he didn't want it to end. His hips pressed down against Dominic's fingers and he felt words tumbling from his lips, demanding more.

Soon enough, Dominic's fingers where gone and replaced. Matthew had to close his eyes and force himself to keep breathing. He clutched Dominic's backside tightly, keeping him stilled and inside; feeling Dominic's hand stroke over his cheekbones.

“Good?” Dominic whispered.

Matthew nodded and opened his eyes again. He smiled.

Dominic smiled back. “I know,” he whispered and gently moved his hips.

Matthew moaned and arched his back. “I love you,” was all he could utter or think.

“I know,” Dominic answered and pressed his lips against Matthew's chest. “I know, my beautiful.”

He moved his hips and Matthew looked up, mouth open and silent, the blond hair shimmering as a halo in the sparse moonlight. He moved against Dominic, his hands yanking him closer, insisting on a faster pace.

Dominic complied and hit something inside Matthew that had him shouting out in pleasure. He let go, his legs and arms tightly wrapped around Dominic while warmth was pooling inside.

 

 

They woke once again to the chatter of birds and soft rays of sun playing on their skin. Matthew blinked and grinned at Dominic who just had woken as well.

“Good morning, my beautiful fish,” Dominic whispered.

“Good morning, my beautiful water-ape,” Matthew giggled and was granted with a weak shove against his shoulder. He rolled onto his back and pouted until Dominic straddled him, their legs entwining once again of their own account.

“Ready for another journey?” Dominic asked, once their lips had parted again.

Matthew smiled. “Any time.”

 

 

_Adrienne sat in the wheelchair looking out to the sea, a large, blue feather held tightly in her hand. She knew she would never see them again. She wasn't sad, at least not much. It was just right that they'd chosen to go together, on their own terms; just how they had lived their lives. Their very last journey, their last dance._

_But still, Adrienne would miss them. Her grand-uncles had been an integral part of her life for almost two decades now and she had never tired of sitting together with them, listening to their stories, chatting the evening away. Even when she had grown out of the age where young girls liked to listen to their old relatives, when other children had lost interest in fairy tales and stories from the past, Adrienne had still sat by her uncles._

_She turned her head when something moved behind her, tentative steps in the sand._

_“Are you okay?” Lewis asked._

_Adrienne nodded and pushed herself off the chair. “Just a bit sad, that's all. I'll miss them.”_

_“You could have tried to talk them out of leaving like this.”_

_She shook her head, chuckling. “Have you ever tried talking Matthew or Dominic out of a set decision? Even more so when both of them agree? It's impossible.” She shook her head again. “No, it's good.”_

_She started to walk towards the castle, leaving the wheelchair behind, Lewis walking right beside her._

_“Don't you want to take the chair with you?”_

_Adrienne shook her head. “No, leave it here, there's no one who would use it anyway.”_

_She fastened the feather behind her ear and hooked arms with Lewis, dragging him towards the castle, not once turning back._


End file.
